


Five Nights at Freddy's, When the Tables are Turned

by The_Night_Owl



Category: Five Nights at Freddy's
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Character Death, F/M, Mental Health Issues, Mental Instability, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-08
Updated: 2017-12-08
Packaged: 2019-02-12 03:04:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 24
Words: 52,457
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12949926
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Night_Owl/pseuds/The_Night_Owl
Summary: When Shara, a teenage girl suffering from mental health issues, takes up the night guard position in the local pizzeria, Freddy Fazbears, a place haunted by urban legends and a mysterious streak of death of only those in her position, many people write her off.Another life to be lost and another body to scrape off the walls.But what would happen if those people were wrong? What if she survives the night?





	1. Night 1

**Author's Note:**

> I promise this gets better, I know this sucks. Thanks for reading and please feel free to leave a comment so that I may continue to improve!

Shara sat down heavily on the single office chair, wincing a little at the high pitched squeak as the metalwork rubbed against itself. She was a bit early, but she had wanted to scope out the place before getting to work.

        She had seen an ad in the papers that morning for the nightguard position, not too far away from where she lived. Money wasn't too much of an issue, but she had been itching to escape from the house-- wanting to do anything but be stuck behind those suffocating walls, so she had easily disregarded the less than pleasant rumors surrounding the place, and had phoned up there and then. Asking about the job on offer and praying that it hadn't already been snapped up. That would be just her luck to be honest.

      To her pleasant surprise, she had been the one and only caller, and they had waved away her CV and had instructed her to show up that very night. Sending her the code to the buildings doors and telling her the keys would be waiting for her in the staff-room, easy as pie.

      So here she was, spinning in her seat and waiting for her first shift to officially begin. It felt good to be doing something for once, even if it was just sitting behind another set of suffocating walls. As the bell tolled, she crashed to the ground, having lost her balance on her new favourite chair. Smooth.

       Dizzily clawing her way to her feet, she made a grab for the table, using it to steady herself, only to have a heart attack as the phone started to ring loudly right in her left ear.

     She resisted the temptation to swipe the thing from its place on the desk, instead shooting it a glare as the sound of static started blaring out of the phones speakers, before quickly cutting off to a nervously cheerful voice

       "H-hello? Hello? Umm...I wanted to record a message for you, to help you get through the first night"

Oh?

"Um, I actually worked in that office before you, finishing up my last week now as a matter of fact. So I know it can be a little overwhelming, but I'm here to tell you there's, really nothing to worry about" the cheerful sounding voice assured.

      Overwhelming? It was the graveyard shift in a supposedly haunted pizzaria, with the place's rep all she had to do was sit back and try not to already be asleep when the cleaners got there in the morning. Pfft, really, who would be stupid enough to spend the night in this dump?...Oh yeah.

     She already knew the stigma the place had scrounged up over the years. It had been set up a while after its previous branch had been shut down for a whole string of strange murders, and the place seemed determined to keep the spooky rep going, the new place quickly having earned its own impressive death toll.

      Strangely enough, the large majority of killings had left the night shift security guards as the sole victims, didn't really bode well for her own position but she never once said she made good decisions.

"You'll do fine, let's just focus on getting you through the first week, okay?"

Yokeydokey.

"Uhh, let's see, first there's an introductory greeting from the company I'm supposed to read, kinda a legal thing y'now" the voice said with a tone of good natured sympathy for the tedious legal procedures.

      Really now? How nice, very helpful, she just loved long winded tutorials- where was the skip button on this thing? 

     "Welcome to Freddy Fazzbears Pizza. A wonderful place for kids and grown-ups alike, where magic and fun come to life. Fazbear entertainment is not responsible for damage to property or person. Upon discovering that damage or death had occurred--"  

     Yeah yeah, lovely place we all get it...Wait, what?

"-A missing person report will be filed within 90 days, or as soon as property and premises have been thoroughly cleaned and bleached, and the carpets have been replaced"

       She didn't like the sound of that very much.

"Blah blah blah, now that might sound bad I know"

   Understatement of the fucking century there phone-man-person. This kinda ttomfuckeryhadn't been in the fineprint!

"Uh, now the animatronics here do get a bit quirky at night, but do I blame them? No! If I were forced to sing those same stupid song every day for twenty years and I never got a bath? I'd probably be a bit irritable at night too" the voice continued in a happy tone, the guy was sympathizing with them for Christ's sake!

     He continued for a while, and surprise surprise, it was all bad news, how the hell was the place still even open, she thought all that stuff were supposed to be stupid rumors? Maybe she had forgotten her meds again.

"Then there was the bite on '87, it's amazing that the human body can live without the frontal lobe"  Phone man chuckled anxiously, he could probably feel the glower Shara was sending his way through space and time.

      "Why do you sound so relaxed about this? None of these are good things!" she groaned, blowing an exasperated sigh and slamming her head against the desk. 

"Uh, now concerning your safety, the only real risk to you as the night watchmen here, if any, is the fact that these characters, if they happen to see you after hours, probably won't recognize you as a person" he took a breath, and Shara could practically feel the bad news coming.

"They'll p-most likely see you as a metal endoskeleton without its costume on"

 

Oh, well honestly how bad could that possibly be?

"Now since that's against the rules here at Freddy Fazzbears Pizza, they'll probably try to...forcefully...stuff you into a Freddy Fazzbear suit."

    So she'd get shoved into a suit, big whoop, hell it would be simpler to just put one on right now and avoid the drama. 

"Now that wouldn't be so bad if the suits themselves weren't filled with crossbeams, wires and electronic devices, especially 'round the facial area"

 

Well that sounded very not good. 

"So you could imagine having your head forcefully pressed inside one of those could cause a bit of discomfort...and death"

 

Yeah no. Screw this, screw this big time. She was not getting slaughtered by fuzzface and friends. 

"But hey! First day should be a breeze!"

Somehow she wasn't buying it.

"i'll chat with you tomorrow- uh, check those cameras, and remember to only close those doors if absolutely necessary, gotta conserve power, alright, goodnight!"

 

        Sitting stock still in the office like a fish in a barrel didn't exactly seem like a smart plan. In fact it seemed the opposite, very much stupid, bad plan. She didn't even hesitate to hop right off her chair and nope right outta that room, quickly snatching up the tablet and flicking through the cameras as she made her way to anywhere the fuzzfaces weren't. 

      She felt hear heart skip a beat when the camera switched to the stage, noticing the bunny animatronic Bonnie had already up and gone, poking around the party room which Shara was heading for right now. 

     She hastily turned heel and walked straight back to where she had come from. As she moved down the hallway, she spotted something out of the corner of her eye, glinting slightly in the dimly lit corridor, anda menacing grin spreading slowly across her face. 

      This job just got a whole lot more appealing.

 

 

________________________

     Bonnie crept his way towards the left office door, moving impressively stealthily for a bulky hunk of metal, the only sign of his approach being the soft clinking of his metallic joints. Today was the day the new guard would be stationed, and he had been itching in grim anticipation to get the messy buisness over with.

    As he got to the door, he quickly rushed at the wide open entrance, a scream halfway out of his lips as his eyes searched wildly for the guard. The idiot had left the door open wide, didn't they listen to the very clear warning on the answering machine? Dumb guard.

      Unfortunately for him, things didn't really work the way he had wanted it too, as before he could turn to his right, something long flashed across his vision, slamming into his face before he even had time to react.

     What the heck just hit him? He looked rolled onto his front, and groggily pushed himself up onto all fours, rubbing a large, furry hand against his nose which throbbed painfully. He often forgot that he could feel pain, and really wished in that moment that he didn't.

      All the guards reacted to the situation differently, but this was new. 

     Catching a flash of raven black hair, a pair of feet danced out of the room as he sat there, stunned. Then his brain caught up with him, and he grumbled lowly.

      This night guard was beyond dead.

 

 

____________________

Shara leisurely strolled down the hallway and into the party room, twirling the wrench she had found in her fingers and giggling as she had a little look at the video feed, watching as the huge bunny stumbled out of the office in a daze, wobbling as he took disorientated steps.

    Bet he hadn't expected that little number.

     Chica was apparently busy in the kitchen, as she didn't show up on any of the cameras, but she wasn't very difficult to hear. Shara could hear the racket she was making from across the building. What was the chicken even doing in there?

     Freddy himself stood at the other end of the party room, tucked away behind the stages curtain and completely oblivious to shara's presence. Humming softly as he fiddled with his bowtie. He never got involved in the first night, and was happy to take the moment to relax from the days work, filled with screaming children.

     It looked like the fox was out of the picture for now too, as the video feed showed him dozing away in Pirate cove, head lolling over his shoulder and mouth agape, putting his large set of metallic fangs on view for the entire restaurant to see.

      Shara felt much better about the job now, these bots weren't all that bad, she should know- she had clocked the 6ft' bunny to next Tuesday without a hitch, and she had been dying for a playmate recently, now she had four of them all to herself! How wonderful, plus these guys wouldn't die from her completely safe and not dangerous at all games. After all, hide and seek and chase would get a little boring after a while.

         Very faintly in the distance, she heard heavy footsteps heading her way, so Shara ducked under a long line of tables, eyes wide with excitement as she spotted Chica returning from the kitchen and throwing a chilling stare towards the security camera, freezing in place. Man she really couldn't wait to bring her toys to work tomorrow. She had feeling this job was just what she had been needing, a growing excitement setting butterflies in her stomach.

     The robot was huge, covered in slightly mucky yellow fuzz and supporting a bright orange beak. Filled with teeth. Eh, why not? More teeth was just what the giant chicken needed. You could never have too many teeth.

     Suddenly, a heavy thumping noise approached the room at a rapid pace, shara turned just in time to spot the Bonnie skidding the corner, eyes narrowed in a scowl as he frantically searched the room.

     Whew, someone looked grumpy. Anyone would think he'd just had his ass handed to him by a 17-year old. "Chica! Did the guard pass this way?" he demanded, still looking every which way as he approached the bird.

      "The night guard? Why would they be here? They hang around the office remember?" she replied, an eyebrow raised in a confused expression. Shara took this moment to leap from her hiding place.

       "Step right up! Come one, come all!" she  Bellowed grandly, raising her arms and posing dramatically at her robotic audience, who gaped at her with a mixment of fury and bafflement, "Hey Bon-bon! How's the concussion treatin' ya?" she teased as the rabbit dove at her with a growl.

        Stepping out of the way, she threw herself down the hallway, laughing heartily at the bunny who chased her like a madman all throughout the building.


	2. Aftermath

The next morning, Bonnie and Chica both flopped on the stage, panting heavily and looking spent. Groaning as they tried to catch their breath and rubbing sore spots. The new nightguard sure took great pleasure in the buisness of getting into the 'swing' of things. 

         Freddy regarded the two with faint amusement, those two must have really worn themselves out trying to get into the office last night. 

        "T-that little brat!" the rabbit heaved, chest rising and falling with his gasping breaths, his tone low and threatening, spitting the words out as if they were acid on his tongue. "I'll throttle 'er" he vowed, voice cracking with exhaustion as he seemed to sag further into the floor.

       Chica looked to be in a similar condition, lain face first against the floor as she let out a tired whimper, coughing a little as her nonexistent lungs sucked in oxygen.

       "What, did you two try to break the door down or something?" Freddy chuckled, straightening out the tiny top hat sitting on his head, giving the two downed 'bots a sideways glance as he preened.

      Chica shot up suddenly, a small burst of energy spiking her circuits as she huffed "How was she so fast! And agile! It was like chasing a cheetah" she wined while Bonnie sighed deeply. 

     "The kid ran circles around us night, would've been bad enough without the wrench" 

     Freddy startled. "Wrench? What do you mean wrench? What are you two talking about?" he spluttered before recollecting himself and waiting with an expectant frown. 

     "The new night guard" 

   "She had us running after her around the entire pizzaria all night. Smacked us with her wrench whenever we managed to get anywhere close."

    "She didn't stay in the office?" Freddy asked incredulously. No guard had ever pulled a stunt like this before.

     "She barely went near it, too busy playing us for idiots" Chica said hotly, standing up slowly and rolling her shoulders, wincing at the squeak of metal-on-metal before powering down before the pizzaria opened that morning.

       "Well tonight i'm gonna teach that girl a lesson" Bonnie mumbled as he took his place on stage beside Freddy and following Chica's lead.

       "What did I miss?" a gruff voice piped up, and Freddy turned to see Foxy poking his head into the stage room, a curious expression on his face. "Heard all the yellin' last night, guard musta put up one heck of a fight eh?" 

       Although he said that with a grin, Freddy could hear the sigh in his voice. He had always seemed to be more bothered by the whole buisness than the rest of them.

      "You could say that" the bear nodded, a thoughtful expression on his face as he once again resumed his place in the center of the stage. 

       "You might want to keep that eye out tonight, from the sounds of it, we'll need it" he warned the puzzled fox, shutting down without further comment, leaving the fox wondering what the 'bot could have possibly meant.

_____________________

        It was a very active day, with many of the day shift surprised that the place hadn't been shut down for yet another gruesome death at the fluffy hands of the same 'bots they were letting play around with the small mob of children that had swarmed the place.

       Chica was busy entertaining her own small crowd of kids, each one of them proudly wearing their own 'let's eat!' bibs and chattering about their favourite animatronic. 

       She liked spending time with the kids, it helped her forget the chaos of every night, the feeling of dragging a terrified body kicking and screaming to their deaths. Though she did have to wonder why the management would let them anywhere near children after that even once, never-mind how many times they had actually done it. She had already lost count.

       What was a bigger draw to her attention today though, was the new nights-watchwoman. Just thinking about the giddy taunting from the night before had put a bad taste in her mouth.

       Her own irritation had absolutely nothing on Bonnie's though, he'd been in a mood all day, stomping around the restaurant with a nasty scowl on his face. Closely followed by a long line of his biggest fans. Somehow his sulking had turned into a conga line.

      Foxy however, was the only 'bot that didn't seem to be all too bothered by the new guard. Although it helped that he hadn't been beaten black and blue the night before. He had heard most of the story from a combination of Bonnie and Chica. Both of who watched with dismay as the fox howled with laughter.

       He had to admit he left strangely excited for the next night, as the second night was the night for him to join the night's hunt. He wanted to see just how crazy this guard was, someone new that could escape their claws might be just what they all needed to break the cycle.

       Foxy had recently been completely shut down, the cove roped off, having previously been out of order after an...incident, with one of the children, and he was very much enjoying himself being the center of attention in pirate cove again. Though he just wished it was for different reasons. 

        He'd never admit it, but being stuck back there could get really lonely sometimes.

       Of course, none of them could have possibly seen what was about to hit them, as somewhere in the world outside of their pizzaria, Shara was busy gathering tools for her next playdate.

      She had grabbed all of the goodies she could think of in her excitement, tossing them into her bag as she stormed throughout her apartment with a wicked grin on her face.       

      That evening, as she raced through her apartment one last time to insure she had everything she could possibly need, she noticed her wooden katana laying propped up against the shoe rack next to her door and snatched it up as she raced out of the door.

Because another dangerous toy is exactly what she needed. 

 

 

Three cups of coffee in the span of an hour was her best idea yet.


	3. The second night, playtime

Shara raced through the building with Bonnie hot on her heels, cackling madly as she went.

      She had turned up to work early just to set up her 'toys' all throughout the building, and had just managed to lead the furious bunny straight into one.

        It had been a simple trick, a small tripwire connecting to a foam-balloon trap. Or two. Maybe three. The poor 'bot had been completely covered in foam, which of course had rendered the hallway floor into a slippery pool of fluffy white bubbles. 

      For a moment he had just stood there, completely stunned and wondering exactly how she had managed to set such a contraption up, before yelping as he fell face-first into the mess.

      "Y-you look like a giant marshmallow" Shara had snickered, using her knees to support herself through the giggling fit while the 'bot slid around the floor as he tried to lunge for her. Instead his legs just wobbled like a newborn deer trying to stand for the first time.

      A full ten minutes later and the chase was back on, Bonnie having finally crawled his way to a dry patch of floor before trying to stand again and storming right for the girl. 

      Up ahead, Chica pounced from behind a wall, trying to trap her between the two, sparing Bonnie a surprised glance before something bright blue burst in her face, blinding her while the night guard slipped under her flailing arms.

     "What just hit me?" she spluttered, wiping her eyes free of the thick substance, while Bonnie stopped dead in front of her, eye twitching as he fought back a chuckle of his own, preferring instead to remain annoyed.

      "She's making fun of us" he groaned, trying to shake off the white gloop from his fur while Chica took a look at her paint-coated hands, which were just as blue as her face.   

"What is all that?" she asked.

"Foam."

"Oh"

Meanwhile Shara was having the time of her life, skipping around the party room as she waited for the two animatronics to catch up.

   Which they did, and boy they didn't enjoy what they ran into.

      The purple bunny was no longer purple, having been completely coated in multicolored paint, while the chicken beside him had avoided most of the spray only to walk straight onto a glue trap, which stuck to the bottoms of her feet as she struggled to pry them off. It didn't work.

     "Oh Bon-Bon, rainbow is so not your colour" Shara trilled, with a look of mock disapproval.

 

      She was rewarded with a frustrated shriek as the rabbit ran at her again. She ducked out of the way and disappeared down the hall.

    "How did you even make that?!" the bunny screamed after her from his spot on the floor.

     Once Bonnie had picked himself up, he quickly resumed his search.

______________________

     Shara sat in the kitchen, swinging her leg back on forth as she fiddled with a green balloon filled with...something. She lost track of what filled what.

       Far off in the distance, she could hear Chica and Bonnie turning the building upside down searching for her.

She smiled, this was already turning out to be fun.

     Suddenly, there was a loud 'bang', followed by furious shrill screeching. "Looks like Chica found the flour bomb" she mused, hopping back to her feet and heading in the direction of the noise.

___________________

"Guess who~" a staticy voice blared out from the walkie-talkie clutched in Bonnie's fist, the 'bot in question wearing a sour expression.

      "What now?" he grumbled, only to startle as the radio spluttered to life again.

      "Ah, c'mon bunny boy, you're not tired of me already are ya?" Shara's voice whined from the speakers as the 'bot holding it went to smash it against the dining table closest to him.

    "Waitwaitwait! Don't smash it or I can't tell you where I am!" she squealed, the animatronic stopping dead as he stared at the device, looking confused.

    "How did y-"

     "Security cams my friend." she cut him off, wiggling the security camera pointing directly at him to emphasize her point.

     The rabbit animatronic snapped his head towards it, giving it a glare that would have given anyone else a heart attack.

Not Shara though.

      Giddy laughter could be heard from somewhere in the building as the speakers crackled "Sooo, don'cha want to know where i am?". Somehow he felt like he was going to regret his next words.

         Bonnie paused, weighing his options. "Alright, i'll bite, where are you hiding?"

     "Boink!" a voice giggled as something struck the back of Bonnie's legs, just under his knee joints.

     He toppled to the floor with a gasp, too surprised to take much notice of the sting of the blow, eyes widening as it connected with his face again, although considerably less painfully that the first time she had smacked him across the face. She must've held back this time.

        "Hey there" she grinned down at him smugly.

     Without missing a beat, the rabbit wrapped a tight hand around her ankle, locking his fingers around it with a triumphant laugh. She made a small noise of surprise before dropping a large, round ball on his chest.

        He only gave it a second glance when he realized the suspicious ticking noise coming from it.

       In a fabulous explosion of glittery glue that stuck in the robots joints and dripped down his suit and onto his endoskeleton, the bunny lost his grip on the ever-elusive guard. Who in turn, whooped as she stepped over him, rushing out of the room as she cried "victory!"

     Chica rushed into the room, covered from head to toe in flour, the glue strips still clinging to her feet,  and had at some point spread to her hands in her attempts to pry them off. Eyes searching wildly for the cause of the commotion.

"I really hate that night guard" she whimpered, while Bonnie nodded in agreement from his place on the floor.

_________________

Foxy heard the commotion even from his cove, which he hadn't dared step out of yet, preferring the safety of his sanctuary. That new night guard was like an indoor hurricane.

       He had peeked out from the curtain a few times, only to see the two 'bots being run ragged and becoming steadily more filthy as the night went on, as well as increasingly more wound up. He hadn't seen them that mad in years.

       Though he couldn't find himself all that bothered by the night guard causing chaos, his friends seemed a lot more active as of late, instead of stewing in their depression and skulking around the building with dull eyes and blank expressions. Foxy had long wondered if they would ever break out of their own brains again.

     If he had it his way, he'd be quite happy to leave the guard running wild, since she seemed to be doing his friends some good. That and she hadn't bothered him yet. That helped too.

      Unfortunately, the choice didn't belong to him, and he could already hear the whispering voice in the back of his head, incessantly nagging for him to do something.

      Without any further options, he decided to shrug the creeping guilt away, shaking it from his mind, it was time to join the hunt.

__________________

It didn't take long for the fox to run into the troublmaking guard, both literally and figuratively, as both of them seemed to take the corner a little too sharply and ended up slamming right into eachother, both landing hard on their backsides, his own making a loud clanking noise while hers made a dull sounding thud.

        "Well, that happened" the girl grumbled, pushing herself to her feet and leaping out of Foxy's reach before he had time to blink.

       Suddenly, her eyes seemed to light up as she stared at the fox with budding curiosity, mouth forming the shape of an 'o' as she pointed at him excitedly.

     "Oooo you're new, you're the pirate guy who's been sticking around the cove!" she cried happily, bouncing in place as she stared at the 'bot.

      "'n' yer the lass who's been causin' trouble" he responded lazily, though Shara caught his mouth twitch with a smile.

     "Yep, mister-phone-man mentioned you, so you're finally coming to say hi?" she questioned, a mischievous glint in her eye.

     "I hear you're pretty fast on your feet" she stated with a challenging undertone, feet subtly shifting into a bracing stance.

     Foxy's jaw dropped open as he regarded the female before him with a blend of disbelief and building anticipation. Was this girl really insinuating what he thought she was insinuating or did he have a few screws loose? It happened before so it really wasn't too surprising.

       "I'd say ye heard right" he nodded, eyeing the wooden sword she held firmly in on hand as he took slow, calculating steps forwards.

       "Then methinks it's time to play a nice game of tag" she declared, turning heel and springing off in the opposite direction.

    "Not it!" 

    Without much hesitation, the fox took after her, steadily gaining on her fairly quickly as the both raced past both Chica and Bonnie, leaving them in the dust before the even registered what was happening.

       Shara threw herself forwards, adrenaline pumping through her body as she used all of her weight to propel herself forwards, occasionally glancing back to see Foxy following dangerously close behind. A look of firm concentration on his face.

      The girl quickly noticed she was in trouble. The Fox was far faster than she expected, and a slight sense of panic began to rise in her throat as she realized that looping around wouldn't be an option, not without risking bumping into the other animatronics, who at this point were now waiting ready for her.

        Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a small hole in the bottom left of the wall, and with a sigh of relief, she darted straight for it, smoothly sliding into it while sending a rude gesture to the fox as her hands disappeared into the hole. 

     Foxy could hear her smug laughter from inside of the walls as he panted heavily against the entrance, realizing that the hole was far too small for him to even try to fit inside.

      Though as he turned to retreat back to his cove, he found himself laughing, the exhilaration of the chase bubbling through his circuits as he left, a growing respect for the nightguard crawling through the vent system beginning to take root.


	4. Not feeling friendly

The night had ended just as chaotically as it had began, with Shara running circles around the 'bots, including the new addition of Foxy, although he was considerably cleaner than the rest of the nights participants.

     At some point in the night, Shara had managed to goad the by then  frustrated Bonnie into trying to shove himself face first into the vent system- effectively eliminating himself from the rest of the nights hunt as he screamed at everyone to get him out.

     Shara had very much enjoyed his predicament. Needless to say, she had a lot of fun messing with him while his arms flailed around, pushing against the wall as he tried to push his head out.

He was still stuck there by the time 6AM rolled around.

     Freddy on the other hand was just as pristine as he was the day before, not so much as a scratch on him, so when he had strolled off of his stage that morning to investigate both Chica and Bonnie's absents, he was more than a little shocked to see the state of the place.

       The entire restaurant was just covered in many, many diffrent substances, mostly a combination of paint, glitter and what looked like thick, creamy foam.

     He could practically hear the cleaners resumè's already.

    As he made his way down to the heart of the building, following the muffled yelling and hearty laughter, he was surprised to bump into none other than Shara, who startled a little before grinning up at him, covered in bright green spatter and looking far too pleased with herself.

      "Hey there Freddo, how's it goin'?" she greeted cheerfully, looking completely at ease as she stretched luxuriously, a faint but audible click coming from her spine.

      The nonchalant attitude caught the bear off guard, but he remained his outwards composure, keeping the girl with a hard, flat stare. Making a point to step past her without a second glance.

     "Ah c'mooon, all ruffled up cuz i'm still breathing?". He locked his jaw, resisting the temptation to snap back at the irritating creature.

      "Sheesh" she mumbled under her breath, looking up at the 'bot her pace close behind him as she had tagged along.

      Although a little disappointed that she had just been shunned by Fazzbear himself, she took great pleasure in witnessing the guys reaction to Bonnie's 'situation'. 

      It had got better too, since now Chica had stumbled across the 'bots struggle and was now frantically trying to pull him out of the wall, while the bunny himself was ranting and raving in an impressive sounding temper tantrum.

    "Wh-what are you still doing here?" the chicken robot moaned upon spotting Shara approaching behind Freddy.

     To everyone's suprise, the guard shrugged, replying with "Gotta clean up a little don't I?", nodding her head in the direction of most of the mess. They had half expected her to leave it for the cleaners.

     "Though you guys might wanna head to the bathroom before ya go backstage, left somethin' to get the paint off in the ladies" she murmured, an almost sheepish quality to her voice as she meandered down the hall. The 'bots hostile expressions were a pretty decent hint for her to get lost. She knew when she wasn't welcome.

   Sauntering away, she didn't notice the appreciative glint that flashed in Chica's eyes.

__________________

Foxy was very, very tired. That guard was a lot faster than he had anticipated, and he now sympathized a lot more with Bonnie's constant ranting about the girl. She was fast, and downright evil with those 'toys' of hers.

      How she had managed to set all of it up in the time she had was actually quite the achievement, and were very well placed too, accomplishing maximum damage to their victims.

      Most of the tripwire traps, he noticed had been placed strategically around the corners of the hallways, where they would be easily activated by anyone riled up enough to forget their footing. Bonnie had fallen victim to most of them. He was too easily provoked.

      She also seemed to have a special affinity to glue and foam, making traversing the hallways without slipping all over the place or getting a face full of sparkly stuff a very difficult feat.

      It'd take him forever to get all of the sticky glitter off of his fur.

       Fortunately for him, it seemed that the Chicken and Rabbit due had taken the brunt of Shara's fun, seeing as he was considerably cleaner than the two.

       In fact he could even say he had actually enjoyed the night, the thrill of the challenge she brought to him was exhilarating, and he had to admire her athletic ability. The girl could move.

       He had quite happily observed most of the tomfoolery unfold from the safety of his cove, which seemed to be the only place spared from the tirade of booby traps. The closest thing to a mess anywhere close being an un-popped water balloon filled with something that didn't look like water.

      So all-in-all he was pretty happy with how the night had turned out, having laughed himself stupid after finding out Bonnie's fate. He had felt no guilt whatsoever walking away as the angry Bun screamed himself hoarse.

      Suddenly, he noticed a soft set of footsteps padding their way over to the cove, and being the curious fox he was, he warily poked his head around the long curtain, finding himself face to face with Shara.

       "Mr. Friendly was givin' me the evil glares of death." she said by means of explanation, and while Foxy didn't really understand for certain, he caught the general idea of it. Freddy had bumped into her.

     "Don't pay him any mind Girly" he murmured gruffly, voice a little out of sorts from speaking so lowly. He usually only spoke with the children, who required a very loud, attention-grabbing voice.

       Shara's face lit up for a moment. "So you're speaking to me?".

      He paused. Taking a moment to think, before shrugging awkwardly. "Suppose I am".

     This seemed to brighten the girls mood quite a bit, and he felt a little bashful to be speaking with someone closer to his age, after so long. The other 'bots didn't often indulge him like this, it got a little bit depressing at times.

       "Tonight was really fun, you're really fast!" she praised, not a hint of a lie in her eyes. This took him aback, she thought the hunt was fun?

       ...She was aware that she was being legitimately hunted by murderous robots, right? He found it hard to believe that she was genuinely comfortable with the situation.

      Before he could think of a response, something in her pocket buzzed, making both of them jump a little before pulling out a phone and tapping at it.

     "Oh shoot! Gotta clean up a bit before I get gone" she said, more to herself than to him.

      Looking up, she gave him a little wave, already dashing off in the opposite direction of the utility cupboards.

____________________

Later that morning, just after the night guard left, one of the 'bot's was startled to hear a faint chingling noise right from under their feet.

      Kneeling down, the faint whir of pistons shifting almost resembling the movement of human muscles filling the quiet that had settled over the restaurant.

     The source of the quiet noise turned out to be a very small, very worn looking charm. The shape of a small moon resting on a tiny key-chain that rattled against the animatronics metallic hand.

       After a moment of consideration, the bot tucked away the small object safely away within their suit. Before resuming their trek back to their place to power down for the morning.

      If it was important then someone would probably come back for it?


	5. The lost charm

She had lost it. Her only keystone- the one thing grounding her, the one thing she relied on to make everything alright. And she had lost it.

      When she had arrived home that morning, she had fumbled around her pocket, heart practically stopping dead when she didn't feel the familiar smooth metal greeting her fingertips.

And had then proceeded to go ballistic.

     For a few panic inducing minutes, she had turned her entire apartment upside-down, windpipe closing tighter and tighter as she still couldn't find it.

      Searching her mind for the last time she had seen her beloved safety blanket.

      Then she remembered. The pizzaria.

_________________

Bonnie sulked as he picked at the strings on his guitar. Ears twitching as he meticulously fine-tuned his prized instrument. The small group of kids he had been entertaining falling fairly quiet as they waited patiently for the purple rabbit to finish.

      He ego was still sore from the humilation of getting his head stuck in the vent, where the irritating night guard had went to town with the markers she for some reason, kept stowed away in her pockets.

Brat.

     Things certainly had gotten a lot more lively in the two short nights since her arrival, and the animatronic couldn't really tell if that was a good thing or not. It made things a lot more thrilling, but he stubbornly refused to aknowledge it, feeling comfort in the swirling hatred that he had forced himself to adopt. It made killing them all much easier.

    Finally satisfied with his intrument, he had just began to pluck at the strings with admirable dexterity, before a very loud crashing sound stopped everyone in their tracks. He could a heated argument somewhere further into the building, and it seemed to be growing gradually closer. The children had flocked behind him after the sudden crash, searching for safety in their large, fluffy idol.

      With a small smile, he patted a little girls blonde head, crouching down to meet the groups eye level and speaking in a gentle, yet authoritive voice. "Everyone, be good and wait here for a minute okay?" 

     They all nodded, some of them tottling off to their parents, who were sending curious glances in the direction of the commotion. They all seemed to deflate a little when they realised it was nowhere near their children though, and went back to chatting amongst themselves.

    By now, all of the animatronics had untangled themselves from the clinging hands of kids and all began to congregate to the hallway, where the employee entrance stood.

     ".......Made a mess!"

   "...cleaning....hours!"

    "......never come out"

        From their spot, they couldn't really hear much, the muffled yells being blocked by the door separating the dining room from the hall. though they all got the general idea of what the commotion was about. It seemed the cleaners were less than pleased about the nights mess.

      As Freddy reached a paw to the door handle however, the door swung open, knocking the bear back a little as he rubbed at his sore nose. The angry retort died in his throat though, as standing in the doorway was none-other than Shara, closely followed by the cleaning staff and the manager, who looked very disgruntled to be dealing with the whole ordeal.

     "Look, all i'm saying is that i'm sure you'd all prefer the paint to organs and bloodspatter alright?" he sighed, sending his peacful office a longing look before turning back to the staff.

      They all collectively paused for a moment, obviously wanting to send a hearty argument back, only he did have a point. Paint beat the mangled body of another night guard any day.

     "She did clean a lot of it up..." a timid looking man piped up, glancing down at the stain-free carpet under their feet. "And she left us some supplies to get the worst of it out".

        Each of them looked down at their provided buckets of paint remover, gumbling quietly. All things considered they relented quite easily.

       Though Foxy and Chica were more focused on the night guard tearing through the pizzaria like a madwoman. Ducking under tables and pillows- even popping her head into the vents every now and then. Though she did take care to steer clear from the children, being careful to not knock them off their feet as she continued so hurriedly rush through the building.

     After ten minutes, she seemed to slump, and scurried over to Freddy and the other animatronics with a pleading expression on her face.

        "H-have any of you seen a charm? A little moon, o-on a keychain!" she stammered, looking almost close to tears, eyes darting between each of them so fast they were surprised she didn't make herself dizzy.

        Each of them shared a few looks, shaking their heads, too taken off-guard by the woman's dishevelled appearance to focus on hostility. Though Freddy eventually did, and recovered first, fixing her with cold eyes. "What are you doing here?"

    Behind him, nobody noticed the purple bunny's mouth quickly closing shut with an audible click.

     Shara didn't answer, and instead made a distressed whine in the back of her throat, bouncing in place as her eyes searched the room once more. She didn't even aknowledge she heard the 'bot, and this just seemed to annoy the haughty character up even more.

       "We need to get back to our jobs, kindly don't meddle any further, we could do without pointless distractions" he growled. He hadn't really disliked the girl before, not personally at least, but he took his job very seriously- he liked routine. He didn't take very nicely to anyone who would interrupt that delacate balance.

       The robots then scattered to their respective stations, Foxy staying behind, remaining beside the distressed woman, and sending the bunny a look. He had lingered behind as well, though Foxy wasn't taking the chance the 'bot would decide to upset the human any furhter. He was still pretty bitter about the night before.

      He flinched, before shrugging and walking away. Then the fox turned back to the girl, a sympathetic expression on his face, the one he wore when comforting the kids.

       "Where'd you last see it lass?" he asked gently, wincing a little at the sound of his gravelly voice. It seemed to work well though, as the guard focused her attention into him. Hey, he might try to murder her every night, but that was at night. During daylight hours he was free to act how he pleased, and acting like an insensetive prick wasn't that high on his to-do list.

        "U-um, I don't remember, I-it's always there, I a-always have it" she hiccupped, breath coming out in a shudder. He'd never expected her to have this kind of side to her, sure he'd known her for all of two days- in person only that night, but she seemed far too...bright for this to be normal. 

      "A-aye, well, whaddy'a say if i keep me eye open for it while you get some shut-eye? You'll need it for tonight's shift" he reasoned, awkawrdly patting the girls shoulder as she reluctantly nodded. 

       Foxy watched as the girl left, looking jittery as she gazed at everything with wide eyes as she headed towards the exit. Behind him, Bonnie had been subtly gravitating towards him, before clearing his throat to catch the fox's attention.

       "Are you really gonna help her?" he asked, shifting his weight from foot to foot, looking very uncomfortable. "Aye, lass didn't look too good" Foxy replied curtly, shaking off his accent before continiuing, "i'd say you should keep an eye out too".

Bonnie made a face "why would I help her?"

     "I just imagine the pranks would be a lot more difficult to deal with when the one pulling 'em is very upset".


	6. When pranks turn bad

The following night, Foxy felt a little disappointed to have not found the missing charm, though he was positive that they would find it eventually, unless one of the children had swiped it at some point.

    Bonnie had made an effort to look as well, though had been much more discrete about it, and managed to avoid Freddy's scrutinizing gaze- which was burning hotly with Foxy in his focus. He didn't much approve of fraternizing with the "enemy". Neither did the little voice niggling the back of his metallic skull.

        When the clocks chimed in, Foxy had taken his place in Pirate Cove, leaving the rest of the animatronics waiting for the night shift to begin backstage.

      Though none of them expected what waited for them there. Freddy was the one to activate it, stepping on a very oddly placed lump underneath the carpet. Before he could even react to the strange sensation under his feet, the animatronic convulsed as a nasty shock sparked through his circuits.

     He dropped to the floor, system shutting down before his head even his the floor. Both Bonny and Chica gasped, rushing towards their fallen friend and buzzing around him in a panic. 

     Freddy took a long time to reboot. By the time he did, the 'bots were practically crying as they bounced worriedly in place, eyes glued to the bear twitching on the floor.

      "W-w-what ha-happened?" he moaned, voice glitching as he stumbled to his feet, Chica moving to help him up. "We were hoping you could tell us that" Bonnie frowned, moving to step forwards.

      "Wait!" Freddy bellowed without any warning, making the rabbit jump backwards in fright. The bear wasn't even looking at the bunny, he was more focused on the ground before his feet.

      Bending down with a slight wince, the 'bot carefully pawed at the lump, feeling something solid hidden beneath that crackled with...electricity. Enough voltage to knock a normal human unconscious, and scramble the animatronics systems. 

       "Be a lot more cautious with your movements tonight, both of you" Freddy warned, voice dipping low and stern, "I'm going to check on the fox".

      Freddy turned heel before he had even finished his sentence, frowning as he scanned the pizzaria. Suddenly everything looked suspicious, had that hat always been there? Those balloons were certainly new.

      Of course he completely overlooked the silently snickering night guard, hiding and watchful.

       Poking his furry head through the curtains, he immediately locked eyes with Foxy, who had a hooked hand out towards him, ready to snap the drapes apart. "Freddy? What are you doing here?" 

     "Keep an eye out for the night guards new traps, the brat almost melted my wiring" he replied curtly, giving the fox a look of disdain. He was far too comfortable with the human, he was forgetting his purpose, and putting them all at risk in the process.

__________________

Chica liked to think she was a reasonable person, calm and collected, sensible. Unfortunately, even sensible people make mistakes every now and again, and hers came in the form of a routine trip to the office. 

     She quietly poked her head around the open door, just to confirm the night guard had kept to her previous strategy, running wildly about the restaurant. It looked as though she had just missed her, as the swivel chair was spinning wildly, losing it's balance and toppling over as though it had been flung aside in her haste to get out.

      Sighing, the bird curiously stepped inside, taking the opportunity to investigate the room she only ever really entered in a frenzied attack-mode. A small desk littered with papers held a very old looking phone set, with a loudly spinning fan set up next to it, sat in the middle of the front wall. The spot that the tablet usually occupied was empty, indicating the guard had taken off with it. Smart. Chica felt herself admiring the girls thinking, she had eyes all over the building with that thing.

      Chica didn't though, as when she bent to pick the chair up off the floor, a shadow slowly crept up behind her, a set of wide eyes sparkling in the dark.

      Chica felt a sharp 'zap' before crumpling to the floor, landing painfully against the seat and slamming her beak against the wheels. She felt fear crawling up her spine- she couldn't move! She tried hopelessly to lift her heavy limbs, hearing the pistons shudder within her suit.

      Her optic sensors suddenly went dark as she felt something digging into the back of her head- when had that got there? She could feel her inner paneling opening, as well as a muffled shifting of the person standing over her.

      Just as she opened her beak to scream for help, she felt something inside her snap out of place with a small sting, and she found herself suddenly unable to produce sound. Panic flooded her metallic body as she felt a set of hands pulling her up to her feet, she couldn't move, she couldn't speak, she couldn't see.

      After a series of grunting close to her head, she felt her body being balanced carefully onto her legs, wobbling a little before settling upright. Another tinkering noise and a sharp pricking sensation on the back of her neck, and she found her wiring loosen, her mechanical body becoming less taught as she frantically willed her limbs to move.

      Her body felt uncomfortably stiff, but she was far too terrified to care, she just wanted to run away, get to her friends and let them fix her. She didn't want to be taken apart blind and unable to scream as she feared she would. And as she blindly stumbled out of the office door, a wicked chuckle retreated to another part of the building, keeping a watchful eye on the cameras.


	7. Breaking things and going too far

Chica had barely managed to fumble her way to the dining room before she felt something splatter across her torso, followed by the floor suddenly slipping from beneath her feet. She slammed painfully against the tiled floor, and found herself unable to push herself back up, fuzzy hands finding no purchase on the slick ground below.

        She could hear her metallic body scraping against the ground before an idea struck her. Without hesitation, she loudly knocked her fists against the floor, the noise echoing throughout the building, peircing the quiet like a knife.

     It wasn't too long before she heard the clanking footsteps of one of her fellow animatronics, probably coming to investigate the racket.

 _________________

Bonnie had just turned the corner, wondering what could possibly be making such a fuss, faintly wondering if maybe Foxy or Freddy had made the mistake of chasing after Shara through the vent. His amusement very quickly faded upon spotting Chica though.

      The 'bot was flailing around on the ground, her eyelights black as her expression morphed into one of relief when she heard him approaching. 

     "Chica? Can't you get up? It's alright, she got me with a foam trap the other night remember? Just crawl to dry ground" 

     The chicken shook her head, opening and closing her beak in a desparate attempt to communicate. Bonnie frowned, carefully stepping as closely as he dared and wrapping a paw firmly around her wrist, pulling her from the mess.

He only slipped himself a few times.

     Once the bird was free from the slippery hall, she launched herself towards where she hoped the bunny was, much to his surprise. She gave a shuddering inaudible sob, she had been so scared, she was so terrified- almost certain that she was scrap metal for a moment there. She had every single flashback to the previous restaurant, were she had been dissassembled for the newer, better models.

       Bonnie knelt there, feeling very concerned for his friends outburst. She was too level-headed to have been so rattled from such a small prank, and so far she hadn't even made a peep. 

       "Are-are you alright?' Bonnie asked, clasping the birds shoulders comfortingly as he helped her up to her feet. Nonexistant stomach dropping as she tilted dangeriously backwards.

    She shook her head slowly, gestguring to her eyes and mouth, trying and failing to produce sound again. "Uhhh, I think we should get Freddy"

     As they turned to head towards the stage to look for Freddy, there was an ear splitting shriek, closely followed by several explosions, and Chica practically jumped a full three feet in the air in fright.

     Upon investigation, they were relieved to find the bear, who lay spread-eagle on the floor, flat on his back and coated from head to toe in purple dye, twitching both annoyance and from the liquid seeping through his circuits.

      "Tha-that damn n-nigh-night guard!" he growled, standing with some difficulty and startling a little when he turned to find the two animatronics.

     "Bo-Bonnie? Chi-ica? What's the matter?" he asked, brows furrowed as he regarded the two with mild concern.

       "I think something's wrong with Chica" Bonnie frowned, glancing to the bird before directing his gaze back to the purple bear.

"What do you-you mean?" 

"She's uhh, not talking- are you alright?"

"I'm perfectly fine, j-just got it in m-my endo-eoskeleton, what a-about Chica?"

      Suddenly, a chuckle that didn't come from them drew there attention to the human perched on top of one of the dining tables, swinging her legs back and forth.

       "Oh she's fiiine, just had a little fun with Mr. Screwdriver heheh" she giggled, voice sounding unusually distorted, as though she had no control over her own vocal chords. 

Her body twitched.

       "What did you do" Freddy growled, voice dropping an octave as his eyes glowed sinisterly. It was not a question, it was a command.

     "Well, I suppose the long and short of it was that we made her voice go bye-bye, she shouldn't be able to see either" she said a-matter-of-factly, titling her head to the side and staring unfalteringly at the furious robot fuming at her. 

      Only Bonnie seemed to notice her strange choice of words. What did she mean, 'we'?

      It was at this moment, Foxy stepped into the room, having been listening to the conversation from behing the curtain of his cove.

      His friendly manner towards the guard had vanished. He looked heady to rip her head off.

       "Ye better hope ye run as fast as last night tonight lassie, because when I get me hands on ye-" he snarled, baring his metal fangs before stopping short when the guard closed the gap and practically pressed her forehead against his, a low rumbling in her throat as she sneered at him.

        "You're talking to the wrong person there foxy boy". Foxy would have stepped back a few paces, had he been able too, but he found himself already backed up against the wall.

He didn't really care about his hurt pride, the night guard looked feral.

      Within a split second, the malice on her face vanished, and she took a few steps back, mumbling incoherently as her eyes darted around the room.

      "S-sorry i..." she stammered, eyeing each of the 'bots as she curled in on herself slightly, shoulders hunching and arms wrapping around herself.

     The killer 'bots didn't seem to know how to react, but they found themselves quite unnerved. Chica especially, as she was effectively blind to the danger, and was tense with anticipation.

       Foxy circled slowly around the unhinged guard, carefully examening the woman, who had switched from agressive to deeply disturbed within the blink of an eye.

      He stopped once he had places himself in front of his friends, taking a guarding stance before the group as he cleared his throat, hoping the noise would catch the girls attention. It didn't.

     The voice in his head was screaming at him to slaughter her while she was distracted, and the livid part of him agreed with it, yet the curious part of him held him back. Something wasn't right, something he couldn't see with his eyes.

     He watched the girl walk numbly to the stage, eyes distant as she seemed to have no destination in mind. None of the 'bots moved, all keeping a watchful eye until she dissapeared behind the curtains.

     "Do you guys remember, that girl we looked after last week?" Bonnie piped up, making the other bots jump. He had a serious expression on his face.

     Freddy went to speak- wondering how a child could be relevant to this situation, before pausing, then nodding. He did remember.

      The week before, a young child had her birthday at the pizzaria, and her family had booked the entire building to host her party. It had been pretty standard, balloons, cake, a lot of children running amock as usual.

     That was until her sister had arrived later on in the afternoon.

     No one had really payed the girl and mind, she was just a late arrival and the staff just assumed she was here for the party. Everyone just continiued their day- until the girl had suddenly screamed bloody murder.

      Everyone had stopped dead, turning towards the girl, who had dropped to the floor and had been frantically shuffling backwards, babbling and whimpering to the empty space above her.

      Her parents had carefully approached their daughter, cooing comforting words and gently embracing the terrifed girl, pushing a small object into her grasping fingers.

     She had trembled for a moment, before looking down at the small peice of scraggy rope in her hands. 

     The change had been instant, her whimpering immediantly calming down as she began fiddling with the string tangled in her fingers. She had still been upset, and had stuck like glue to her mother, but had made it through the rest of the day without furthur incident.

    A few of the staff had offered to call the hospital, eyeing the girl with phoned held ready in their hands, but the pair had shaked their heads, smiling knowingly.

       "It's fine, she just forgot her toy, helps keep her distracted when she feels overwhelmed, we found it in the car this morning so we sort of expected this to happen" they had explained, storking the now very calm girls head soothingly. "She'll be fine now she's got it back"

     Foxys eye widened considerably, a sort of realisation quelling his remaining fury. "Aye, she's pretty similar, same look in here eye and everything" 

Bonnie nodded "that's my point"

    Freddy scowled to himself, crossing his arms as his leg bounced in place. "It doesn't change the fact Chica could have been seriously hurt, we need to take her out quickly, there's no telling when she loses it again"

      "Actually, there is, she was acting odd today, when she was looking for that charm" bonnie cut in, glancing in the direction of the guard, who was making a shuffling noise from backstage.

       Foxy smirked, turning back to Freddy and bobbing his head in the rabbits general direction, "aye, the warning was there".

      Freddy shook his head in disbelief. "Have you all forgotten the entire reason we are here in the first place?! The guards wellbeing isn't our concern- it's our job to kill them!" he said, voice going high in frustration.

      Before the others could reply, there was a crashing noise from the stage, followed by a twang that sent the rabbits heart plummetting.

      He was the first to dart towards the stage, the others following hot on his heels, with Freddy carefully leading Chica behind the group.

     Foxy and Bonnie ripped the curtain back, only for the rabbit to slump to his knees at the sight before him.

       In the girls hands, lay the splintered remains of his prized guitar.

     He took a shiny, red shard in his paws, numbly staring at the wreckage of the most important possesion he owned, the object that held all of his dreams inside, that now lay in a small heap of rubbish in the middle of the floor.

        Shara was no better, as she shook with sobs, looking between the rabbit and the guitar with tears welling up in her eyes, spilling thickly over her lashes.

        "Bon-" Foxy began, only to snap his lips shut when he couldn't find the words. They all knew how important that thing was to him.

      "You should leave" a cold voice instructed, and Foxy turnes to find Freddy glaring daggers at the sobbing woman. Surprisingly, she did as she was told, standing clumsily before taking a few hesitant steps towards the heartboken rabbit, before thinking better of it and standing still.

       The animatronics pried their grieving friend from the stage, taking him to the bathroom to clean themselves up.

     When they returned, all traced of the guitar had been taken, along with their friends spirit.


	8. Bonnie's revenge

That night, Bonnie had shifted from 'inconsolable' to absolutely enraged, and he had been planning the nights activities with morbid enthusiasm.

      Freddy had been content to allow the rabbit to order everyone around, including himself, finding the 'bots renewed enthusiasm as a great deal of progress. No more distractions. The other bots had stepped into place, the only one feeling any uncertainly being Foxy, who had apparently forgotten all of the nights rage towards Shara. 

       Chica had been repaired shortly before the day began, and had been stewing in her resentment the whole day.

     After the children had left and the building had emptied, the 'bots had set to work, snatching Shara's 'toy' bag from it's places stashed away in the break room and had began scattering the lot around the pizzaria. 

      "How does she even get the stuff to make these?" Chica had mumbled incredulously  while rifling through the very large, very deep bag, fingers finding purchase on an intricate looking gadget, labeled 'bubble-gum trap'. "Pretty sure at least half of these things are illegal"

      "Says the homicidal chicken" Foxy mumbled, earning an unamused look from her as he tried to shake off a sticky glob of a neon green...thing, off of his hook.

      With minimal mess and only a few of the toys going off in the robots hands, all of the goodies had been placed, everyone taking great care to memorize what was were. Everyone was beginning to feel a little excited about the upcoming night, even Freddy found himself smirking at the thought of running circles around the guard.

      As if on cue, Shara shuffled into the building, looking a damn sight calmer than the night before, though she still looked very twitchy. She had an oddly shaped bin bag slung over her shoulder, and she seemed to be taking almost unreasonable care with the package, settling it down on the largest dining table pushed up close to the stage.

       Just as she straightened herself, face unusually bright and looking strangely excited, the bell signaling the start of the night shift rang. All of the 'bots immediately burst out of their hiding places, screeching as loudly as they were able and startling the skittish woman into the kitchen. 

         As she pushed against the door in a blind panic, something dropped onto her head, covering her in a sticky substance and almost knocking her over. Madly flailing her arms, she caught the edge of one of the worktops, hastily latching into the smooth surface to haul herself up without breaking speed. 

     She could her the clanking footsteps of the animatronics close behind her, and she vaulted over the island counter top, heaving sucking I oxygen greedily as she made a bee-line for the closest vent she could think of.

        Dropping like a rock, her heart rose to her throat like bile when she didn't slide quite as smoothly as she expected into the hole, barely managing to avoid Chica's grasping fingers as she backed herself up as fast as she could make herself.

      What the hell had gotten into them tonight? She'd have to be a lot more careful, they'd really upped their game tonight.

      Breathing a heavy sigh of relief, she briefly considered just staying put right there for the night. She hadn't stopped by the offices yet, so she didn't have the advantage of the security cams either. Yeah, staying put was probably a good plan less death involved.

       Her victory was short-lived. She crawled past the intersection branching off to the Cove and the hallway just outside of the office, she could swear she heard the distinct sound of one of her pepper spra- oh shit!

     She realized the danger just a second too late, as before she could squeeze her eyes shut, she felt the painful burning sensation spritz directly into her open eyes. Letting out a cry of both shock and agony, she instinctively threw herself back, away from the spray that stung her eyes and stuck to the back of her throat. She didn't even feel the back of her skull collide with the top of the vent, but she certainly noticed the heart-stopping falling sensation. She had thrown herself out into the hallway.

      Freddy was there waiting for her, and lunged for the girl writhing on the floor. As soon as she felt the hands closing around her shoulders, she leaned backwards, shoving her feet as hard into his face as she could. Freddy felt his head snap back with the force, and he lost his grip immediately, clutching at his chin before remembering his catch.

     Shara took those precious few seconds to launch herself into the office, slamming the office door button which closed shut just as the bear turned to glower at her.

      As a precaution, she quickly slammed the other shut tight for good measure. Rubbing uselessly at her eyes, she used her other hand to reach for the tablet, feeling a small sense of relief in the eyes she'd have everywhere.

     Her jaw dropped open, tears streaming down her cheeks as her hand clawed at empty air.

      Oh shit indeed. She was absolutely fubbernucked and she bloody well knew it. "This is why you never work with creepy robots. Statistics show you die every time" she joked, voice shaking a little. This was no laughing matter.

       Looking through the windows, flicking on the door lights at each, she felt any hope she might have had left vanish as she met the faces of Chic, Freddy AND Bonnie, all clustered around the doors with smug grins.

      Freddy of course, being the asshole he was, waved the tablet around, looking far too pleased with himself at the look of dismay that flashed across the young girls face.

      "Go fuck yourself Fuzzface" she howled, frustration taking over her fear. It was better like this, she'd rather be pissed than terrified out of her mind.

       "Gasp! Profanity~" he gasped, raising both hands to his face in a look of mock-horror. 

      "If I live I swear i'll shove so much caramel into your suit you'll be picking your endoskeleton out of the kids teeth for weeks!"

       Freddy shuddered, just another incentive to make sure she kicks the bucket tonight.

       Suddenly, Foxy came sprinting from the dining room, a hand finding it's way to Bonnie's arm. "Ye might wanna take a little look in that bag-'o'-hers, might have somethin' useful we could mess with" he heaved between breaths, his hooked hand holding himself up on his knees.

      Bonnie paused for a moment, looking between the door and the hall, before deciding that the guard wasn't going anywhere fast, and happily strolled off towards the party room, humming cheerfully.

       Shara turned to the Pirate, frowning, she couldn't decide if this was worse of not, foxy was more...reasonable- but he was faster, and she really didn't want to find out if that hook was as real and sharp as it looked. She could wriggle out of fuzzy paws, but being eviscerated by a pointy hook wasn't on the top of her favourite-things-to-do list.

       "Ahh piss" She groaned, settling down on her chair only to throw herself off at the buzzing shock that rudely sparked through her butt. Heh, that sure was shocking! Haha- she was so going to die.

      She sure hoped that there would be cake at her funeral- chocolate cake, she loved chocolate. And catnip, all over her grave, so when the local cats flocked to her resting place people would thing she was some kind of cat god! Yes! Good plan- great plan. That was if anyone remembered to bury her anyway- but being a cat god was definitely a comforting thought.

       'Foxy sure has been coughing a lot, maybe he has a cold?' She thought. Do robots even get colds? 

      Out of sheer curiosity, she looked up to the window, picking herself up from the floor and peering into the glass, only to find the fox practically becoming the window. Muzzle pressed against it to hard she was surprised he hadn't broken it.

       He looked her right in the eye, holding her gaze for a few seconds. Before smirking a little and walking away, making a point to ignore freddys screaming as he whistled above the bears racket.

       Silently blessing all things furry, she took the chance presented to her and shot straight into the vent system just outside. She didn't even flinch at the colourful explosions of paint and what she hoped was chocolate almost flooding the small shaft. 

      She had a chance.

    Although she did faintly wonder what else they had hidden up their sleeves. And as she shuffled through the messy crawlspace, she found her anxieties easing a little, a small smile tugging at her lips.


	9. New problems and old faces

Freddy had gone ballistic after Foxy's little stunt. In fact, Chica had actually fretted that he'd blow his circuits apart, she could even see the smoke coming from the joints of his suit. He was overheating in every sense of the world. 

      "We HAD her! What were you thinking!?" he screamed, though thankfully for the fox it was a very very muffled scream. He had locked himself in the office. Just to be safe.

      "I got distracted, it happens" he shrugged, sending the furious bear and bird duo a sheepish look. To which Freddy pounded against the glass in an uncharacteristic display of childish anger. 

     "Distracted. By. WHAT?!" Freddy screeched, voice going high with the stress. The whispers in his own mind had been pushing very hard the past few nights, and it was only night three. They were getting restless.

      "The building is empty! What could possibly have caught your eye that hasn't been there every single night for the past twenty years?" Chica chimed in, looking ruffled, but considerably calmer than Freddy, her arms folded in a scolding manner.

     Foxy just shrugged again, and Freddy roared even louder.

_______________

Shara knew there was a reason she loved that damn fox, she would seriously have to consider getting the guy a thank-you-for-helping-me-not-die-a-violent-death gift. Maybe a hat. A pirate hat! Yeah, that was a good plan.

       Until she could do that though, she needed to be alive when the clock struck 6AM, and seeing as it was only 4:05AM, she had her work cut out for her. Staying put in the vents were not an option.

       The 'bots had done a smart apparently, as the tiny crawlspace was just filled to the brim with traps, most of which involved fire and may or may not be illegal. Just a little bit.

      She could see most of them, as they'd likely just been tossed into the vents like bowling balls, so the large majority of goodies were clustered in groups, making a few pathways just impassable. Unless she was fireproof. Which she wasn't.

       She'd tripped a few of her less dangerous toys just on the way to the prize room, which was empty for the most part, it wasn't open to the kids during the day.

       However, it did hold some bits and bobs, a checkered pattern creeping up the wall hallways like most of the corridors in the building. However above that, the walls were lined with long, neatly placed shelves, with small plushie versions of all of the animatronics. All of which being very adorable and had her wondering if anyone would notice if she nicked one outright.

      Smirking to herself, she quickly crawled her way to the only door, rattling the handle to find it locked tight. Good, at least she had at least one safe place in the restaurant tonight. Though if the 'bots got too excited that flimsy door wouldn't last too long.

        Ducking into the vent across the other side of the room, she shuffled her way though the tight space, turning a sharp corner back towards the general direction of the main building, hoping to loop around to survey the area. If she was lucky she'd be able to scope out the locations of the sneakier booby-traps.

       As she crept closer to one of the closed-off entranced to the vent system, a lot higher up on the wall than she was comfortable with, when her hand snagged something in the shadow of the cover, and she suddenly found herself lurching forwards, the frame popping from it's hinges from her weight and clattering to the ground, closely followed by her.

       The sound was deafening to someone who was otherwise trying to be as stealthy as possible, and she felt her heart rate skyrocket as the silence stretched for an uncomfortably long period of time.

      Heck, she'd really appreciate the familiar clanking footsteps of an angry Pooh-bear right about now. It was much scarier not knowing were the killer machines were coming from. 

      "Heh, never expected those bag's of bolts to come up with that kind of cheap trick" 

     "Ah shut yer trap already" the guard hissed, swatting at the air around her head. Which was no longer empty.

      The figure that had definitely not been there a few seconds ago grimaced at the movement, audibly clicking their tongue in disapproval.

      "I wouldn't have thought that you of all people would have been so pitifully careless" the voice rasped, it's head tilting to the side as a grotesquely long arm moved to wrap around it's torso.

      "Yeah well, you're an asshole" Shara murmured. Any further argument being totally invalid after that flawless argument. Truly she was very much winning at life.

      The figure hovering over her tutted, shaking it's head and crouching to meet Shara's eyes. It wasn't fooled by her unwavering voice, it knew she was wary, and it knew why. 

     The figure was almost painfully thin, so much so that Shara actually marveled at how it stood upright without snapping like a twig. It's entire body looked almost skeletal, with bumpy, bruised looking flesh of a deathly mix of white and black, as though parts of its flesh had just died still clinging to the bone. It's face was long and worn, aged beyond its years, if she hadn't known better, she would have rather pitied the sallow looking cheeks of the miserable face.

        That was if she had been able to get past the horrific things eyes. Or rather, lack of them. Two large-hallow chasms taking place of were eye-sockets should be, with a mouth that was almost identical to the two gaping holes above it, only much, much larger.

        "So as much as I love seeing your ugly mug, why exactly did you decide to grace me with your presence? It's been oh so long yet not long enough since i've put a face to that heavenly voice of yours"

      "Your sarcasm never fails to entertain me."

   "Funny, you never entertain me, I want a refund"

      "You're unusually mouthy today" the sickly looking creature chirped dangerously, fingers crackling in their joints as it tapped them against it arms. "You're usually quite the spineless little twit"

      The creature was silent for a few ticks, reveling in the girls obvious discomfort. Her twitching had returned full-force, and she was spasming fitfully under the monsters twisted gaze. It's mouth stretching into a messy grin as the eyeless pits of it's face seemed to deepen in warning.

       The girl visibly faltered, any wit that might have come from her mouth sticking in her throat in an uncomfortably suffocating knot. Her shoulders drooping in unspoken defeat, she knew not to push that voice too far, and she was right at the threshold of its patience.

       She felt the tight, thin fingers spindle their way around her throat before she even noticed it had moved, and she tensed slightly, but otherwise offered up no resistance. It would be over much faster that way.

      "It's been far too long since we've been able to play like this, sweetheart" it cooed mockingly, trailing a sharp claw down her cheek while its other hand closed around her throat like a vice. Squeezing the air out of her with an unforgiving grip.

         The girl trembled like a leaf, hands jerking to grasp at her blocked windpipe, making pained grunts as tears squeezed from the corners of her eyes.

        "Oh don't be sad, think of all the fun we'll have from now on? Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere"

 

     Shara didn't really want to admit it, but since she had lost her precious treasure, differentiating between what was actually there and what wasn't had gotten to be almost impossible. It had been hard before, yes, but not nearly this bad, nor had things been so...frequent. So vivid and raw.

       What used to be so manageable had flipped into chaos within the span of minutes, the wails and moans of invisible creatures suddenly increasing in volume. The phantoms plaguing her vision invading her sight far more vividly and often than ever before, it had been maddening, and easily left what little balance she had in her mind in tatters. She had lost the delicate balance of control she had, and the result had sent her wild.

      At some point, she'd briefly snapped out of the initial wave of hysteria. The feeling of being overwhelmed had just...stopped, if only a little, and she'd just sort of 'woken up'. She'd felt so disorientated at the time, as though stepping from a fog that had clouded her mind, yet when it had lifted, she'd seen the damage she'd already done. 

     The splintered plastic shards of red laying at her feet.

      She'd never quite been able to shake off 'him' though, with or without her treasure, but he'd been little more than a nagging whisper. A faceless voice that she'd always made a point to ignore. It had been a very long time since he'd been able to show himself in the flesh, a record she'd been hoping to keep beating.

        She felt pressure building up in her head, and the static of thousands of echoing voices filled hear ears, beating against her skull mercilessly as his cackling laughter drowned within the swirling noise.

 

           "...please, make it stop..."


	10. Thinking too hard

Chica had left the fox to his own devices pretty quickly when it became obvious he had no intentions of listening to them. Freddy very reluctantly turned his head away as well, leaving the Pirate happily sealed away in the office as he left to make preparations for their next little 'plan'. A small victory being at least with the fox occupied in his little station in the office, at least he couldn't interfere any further, at least not without risking having his head knocked clean off.

         Chica didn't really understand why the fox would allow the guard to escape after all their effort. She didn't imagine the lethargic character would do anything to pointless without reason, but she just couldn't see it. it didn't make any sense to her, why he would fight his programming for the infuriating girl.

        She much preferred how the bear did things. He always made everything...clear, he explained why they had to do what and what that would mean in a calm, confident voice. Less thinking on her part, she just had to smile and nod, trust in her friends instructions. which she always did, he had never given her reason not to after all, he always looked after them. She often felt a little guilty to have dumped so much responsibility onto his shoulders, but he never fussed, never complained, he always put her worries at ease with a cheerful smile and comforting words.

      That was why she had been so scared when the first night guard had set foot in that office, though at the time she hadn't known why. Her and Bonnie had stood in dreadful anticipation at the stage, sending fearful glances in the direction in the office. Both Freddy and Foxy had began acting off, jumpy and irritable, often sending eachother scathing looks when they thought nobody was watching.

       She'd never felt such a mix of fear and...hatred, before. Her metallic fingers had never itched quite in that way, an uncontrollable urge to wrap around that poor creatures little neck. To utterly destroy all traces of the night guard in the office.

        She had lasted a few nights on her own, forcing herself to stay busy in her kitchen, messing around with empty pots and pans while she caught Bonnie jumping straight into his curiosities. he would skulk around the party room for a while, occasionally glancing towards the watching cameras with a strangely detached expression, before eventually giving in to his restless anxiety and bounding off towards the back office. She would hear the 'bots furry metal paws clanking against the dusty tiled floors, then it would stop as metal slid into place, a thick, heavy door slamming shut with a deafening finality. Every time she heard it she felt strangely disappointed.

       Every day, just as the night shift ended, the rabbit would confront her with his 'findings', though some part of her knew that he just wanted to confide in someone. She was scared too. None of them had ever felt so much like the monsters the children they cared for sought comfort against during the day. She felt corrupted by something foul with the violent thoughts invading her otherwise sound mind.

      "He just sits in the office, watching a little screen and shutting the doors as soon as he spots me" he would grumble, staring down at his paws with a frustrated scowl. "It feels...similar somehow, like this has happened before".

       Chica had nodded, she felt it too. In her minds eye, she could see another her, crawling through a hole, then bloodcurdling screaming and something red. For some reason it didn't bother her as much as it probably should have.

     Shuddering, she shook the image from her mind, a sick feeling in her chest as she regarded the bunny with concerned frown. "I know, something isn't right".

        Foxy and Freddy had joined them at that moment, both of them wearing dark expressions that neither Bonnie nor Chica had ever seen on their friendly faces. It had been just a few weeks before Foxy had malfunctioned, and everyone had been quite happy with their stations for the most part. The sudden unexpected shift in mood had just made the two quaking animatronics all the more afraid. These were not the happy characters she knew.  
         Foxy had always been quite an interesting fellow, there was an invisible line between him and the rest of them that nobody ever commented on, but they all knew existed. Although he seemed to have created this unspoken wall, he always kind of expressed some sort of resentment over it, as though they were somehow responsible, but he never outright said it. There was something very lonely about that character that she just couldn't put her finger on.  
         He was a pleasant creature to be around regardless, though he was very quiet when the children weren't around, he had a very loud personality during the daylight hours. The small children just loved his, and he relished the attention he received, it gave him a light that none of the others could replicate. He was alive in a way they couldn't be. Even so, both herself and Bonnie found themselves looking up to the fox just as they did to Freddy, admiring the spark that separated him from the group. Both reserved and withdrawn, and bright and outlandish.  
          
             As the two entered the room, the pirate had stormed off towards his cove, fury marring his usually composed demeanor, and just before his curtains whipped shut, he sent aachilling look towards Freddy before disappearing from view.  
         Freddy had cleared the throat he didn't really have, face wiping clean and returning to a false cheer, as if that strange encounter hadn't just happened.

      "Hello you two, how are you doing tonight?" he greeted, regarding the two with a peppy energy that didn't reach his eyes. 

 

It had been a very long time since that night. 

      Bonnie had poked the bears mind about their new...'urges', their darker selves that only seemed to be directed to the unfortunate souls that took the graveyard shift that ironically ended up putting them in their graves. He had told them that it was simply their programming, that there wasn't anything odd, they weren't bad for what they felt they needed to do. That they weren't bad for what they eventually did, and continued to do for the next twenty years.

   Although it eased their minds it didn't really do much else.   

       As Chica turned to the safe room towards the back of the building, she sent a sparing look towards Pirate's Cove, before sighing internally. It was better to just drop the topic, she was giving herself a headache. It was much easier to just ignore it, it wasn't like there was anything she could do.

       Snapping herself out of her thoughts, a faint crashing noise found her ears coming from up ahead, and she felt a surge of excitement spark her circuits, eyes widening as she rushed towards the noise.

    It seemed the guard had made a very terrible mistake, and Chica was not about to let this chance to to waste.


	11. Asphyxiation isn't a fun way to die

He was the person they gave their troubles to. The person that would take the weight of their problems, bear their sins and take the control that they so desperately didn't want to posses. They didn't want to be responsible for themselves, it was too much, it was scary. Freddy would always know what to do.

      This was why Chica had dragged the delusional guard kicking and screaming all the way to the only person she could think would know how to deal with her.

       Chica honestly hadn't known what to think when she first stumbled across the thrashing creature on the floor. She'd just been elated to have finally caught up to her, but that had changed very fast. For a moment she had just assumed she was choking on something, maybe she'd made a stupid mistake and tried to snack in the crawlspace and tripped up. Until she realized the look on her face was not just of panic, no, it was one of fear.

      Then she saw it, for a moment, Shara was not there anymore, but someone was, and they weren't alone. She was seeing a flash of someone being erased. Someone familiar. Then they were gone, and the memory went with it. 

      Shara was squirming violently in an invisable grip, clawing at her throat and making shuddering, gagging noises, legs kicking frantically at the open air above her. Her mouth was opening and closing like a fish out of water, a restricted whine escaping from her lips and her eyes darted around for something-anything to help her ease the pressure on her windpipe. She could feel her lungs burning, screaming desperately for her to breathe so hard that it brought stinging tears to her eyes. The stick thin creature smirked down at her, tightening it's grip just a fraction as if just to spite her.

      Chica took a careful step forwards, eyeing the girl, not entirely convinced that this wasn't an elaborate prank. Kneeling down slowly, she took the girls trembling shoulders firmly into her hands, hauling her to her feet that just couldn't hold her upright, instead buckling underneath herself, her entire consciousness pre-occupied with the need for oxygen. Of course it couldn't be that easy, no that would be far too convenient.

        With an irritated huff, the bird animatronic slung the suffocating guard over her shoulder, ignoring the creaking of her joints as the guard continued to writhe in agony. As well as the neaseting knot forming in the pit of the stomach she didn't have. 

 Freddy hadn't wandered too far away, and she  found him still seething just short of the main hall, peering through the upper ventilation shaft with a concentrated frown on his face as his rounded paws clung at the smooth, flat wall, trying to get a better view of the hole just a little too high for him to see into clearly. He didn't make any effort to show he had noticed Chica's presence, instead continuing to strain his servo's harder than was probably sensible. The bear was rarely this riled up, all of the haughty maturity in his demeanour seemed to have vanished, drowned in his foul mood. 

 "It doesn't look like she's been through this way just yet, but I heard a crash towards the back so we should probably split up and take her by surpr-" he trailed off, mouth agape and hanging open as he gawked at the thrashing body the bird was struggling to keep wrapped in her grip. The girls behavior had escalated within the few minutes of her capture. 

 "l-et... G-!"

"Well that was easier than I previously expected" Freddy eventually said, seeming quite happy with the development and apparently entirely unconcerned with the strangled whimperings of the girl. Without a word he moved to take the girl in his arms, holding her wrists together so tightly that her hands began to turn red, and then purple.

  Chica went to open her mouth, only to close it again a few moments later. It really didn't matter what was happening to the guard, right? She was going to die anyway.

    Shara was wild- she could feel herself getting weaker by the second, the blood rushing to her head and bursting at her temples while those hallow pits laughed down at her. Though her limbs trembled with the weight of moving, she'd never felt so strong before in her life, her body gaining strength in its desperation to survive. She felt something rip her arms from the claws at her throat, startling her into letting the precious little oxygen she had left escape as they were roughly tugged far above her head. Without her hands there to offer that little bit of protection, the vice on her windpipe became unbearable. 

    "Alright, I think i've played around enough for one day" the creature sneered, removing his fingers one by one playfully as he sat back, snaking his body around the fuzzy bears neck. Oh right, she had wondered why she couldn't feel the floor underneath her anymore. "You better hurry Dear, I wouldn't want them to ruin my favourite plaything" he purred, winding a single arm around Shara's shoulders as she gulped in air greedily, head swimming from the sudden loss of pressure. Breathing was almost just as painful as choking it seemed- it was as though her lungs had shrunk to the size of peas, and were now being forced to rapidly expand far past their limits.

      The relief she expected to feel didn't come,  the hand on her shoulder a reminder she was still far from safe, though strangely, she felt an odd sort of comfort in the murderous animatronics presence. And then she realized she was actually in the animatronics presence.

    The panic she had thrown away moments ago returned full-force, as she registered the very dangerous hands she was currently in. Freddy, being a robot, had a grip strength much, much stronger than humans of course, meaning overpowering him was completely out of the question. She could barely even feel her own hands anymore, aside from the merciless feeling of pins pushing under her flesh, and the dull ache of the fuzzy hands threatening to crush bone.

    She found herself unable to turn her head much, her arms keeping her head set in one direction, facing upwards at the bears jaw, with her eyeless monsters legs hooked backwards around his far shoulder, bone trembling under skin at an unnatural angle that made her feel sick even in her position. She thought she spotted the bears eyes flickering down to her for a few seconds, almost curiously, though it was brief, and he didn't even break stride as he returned his eyes back towards his path. Now unfaltering.

    "She calmed down?" a voice out of Shara's line of sight said, and she quickly determined it to be Chica, though she found it odd that the bird could sound that...withdrawn? She always seemed so lively during their 'games'. Oh how she has changed- she wasn't the same duck she had been all the way back two days ago! Or was she a chicken? The plot thickens. All tomfuckery aside, she really was going to die at this rate, think! What could she do?

     "Very observant tonight, aren't you featherhead?" Shara teased, revelling in the glare most likely shot her way for all of two seconds before realizing that pissing off the 'bots now of all times was probably not a smart thing to do. She felt a threatening growl reverberate through the metallic fuzzy casing on Freddy's chestplate.

     "Oh relax Fred, I think i'm entitled to have a little fun when i'm about to be murdered by two sentient robo-killers" ah hell, their reactions were just too priceless.

     Freddy stopped dead, turning his head downwards as far as his neck would allow him too. He didn't look very pleased. Yet Shara continued regardless "Heck I haven't even done anything-" Chica tittered grumpily at that "-okay maybe I have messed around a little bit, but you guys came after me first! Not just me either, how is this place even still open? I'm tellin' ya, bossman really must suck a lotta d-" Chica sqwuaked without a moments hesitation, and freddy just looked even more disgruntled than ever "-to keep this place open". 

     The stick-figure demon seemed indifferent to the commotion, though slithered down a little closer to Shara's head. "Keep this up for another hour and you might just avoid dying horrifically" it said happily,  and Shara groaned internally, she could buy time easily enough, but Freddy's patience would only last so long.

     "What is it you even have against me anyway?" she grumbled, face scrunching up in frustration. She heard Chica falter for a moment, beak creaking open with no audio coming out. The words wouldn't form in her brain, she couldn't explain it, but Freddy could, Freddy knew everything. And so, she turned an expectant gaze to the bear, who flinched slightly under her stare.

     "It's none of your concern" he bit, only to feel a pointed knock to his solid abdomen as the guard seethed in his grip "Is too you rotten fleabag! This is my life we're talkin' about here it's everything to do with me!".

    "Oh, naughty girl, you made the poor Dear all flustered" the demon trilled in a sing-song voice, stroking a mocking hand across the bears jaw as he grit his teeth together. Even he saw she did have a point, but the whispers were becoming a lot less complacent. They wouldn't be so patient for much longer.

     "Can it stick-man! I wasn't yelling at you" the girl hissed, glaring daggars at the only visable part of him that she could see and hoping he could feel the fire in her eyes. "Hush little girl, i'm not in the mood to play rough anymore today" he dismissed, waving a hand over her face and grinning in self-satisfaction.

    "Screw you!" Shara howled, kicking at the figure with all her might, foot slipping loose just under Freddy's joints, and knocking it back with a cry and startling Freddy into dropping her all in one. Without even the thought of escape crossing her mind, she flung herself at the creature, which scrambled upright only to be pushed flat against the ground again, both bodies kicking and clawing at one another like mad dogs.

    Chica kneeled to help her friend up, pulling him into a sitting position by his shoulders as he rubbed at the back of his head, wincing at the dent his fingers found. That could have been nasty, he'd have to fix that before the days show.

    He snapped his attention back to the guard, eyelights flickering brighter in fury, only to feel them dim after finding her still there, quite unexpectedly. Why hadn't she ran away? Hadn't that been her intention? He looked to Chica briefly, as though to confirm he was actually seeing what he saw, though she looked just as troubled, and truth be told a little frightened. She was fighting. With nothing. Nothing was there, except for her, but she was definitely trying to attack something, fists stopping dead in the air as if actually making impact with whatever she was seeing.

    He saw something move above her in the hallway, and his eyes shifted from the mess of raven black hair tumbling around the empty ground. He saw the red fur, torn in patches, exposing the endoskeleton underneath, and the golden hook twinkling in the dim light.

    Foxy was there, standing mesmerized by the sight in front of him, just like his friends. Though he was a lot more baffled by the sight, after all, he was seeing what was beating Shara into a bloody pulp.


	12. That happened

Bonnie heard the high pitched screaming as he sauntered down the hallway, feeling satisfaction in that it must be the guard, either being caught or realizing that she had lost. It felt good to have finally taught the cocky guard a lesson, and he quickened his pace, eager to return to watch her face contort in despair again.

    He had to admit though, he was a little curious to see what she had brought with her tonight. He had never seen her treat something with such care before, so whatever she had stuffed in the thing must have been of some sort of value.  Though he'd have to be careful, with her track record, it would be something explosive. Which would explain why she had treated it so delicately, she just didn't want to set it off. The joke would be on her- he'd chuck it into the office if she so much as tried to open the door.

    Chuckling to himself, he turned the familiar corner of the party room, optics swerving over the many chairs and tables before locking onto the bag resting neatly on a table close to the stage at the far side of the room. Of all of the rooms in the restaurant, this one was his favourite. It was the room furthest away from the parts and service room, and the stage was always kept considerably cleaner there than those in the others. Perhaps the staff assigned there just took more pride in their jobs. Whatever the reason, he greatly appreciated it. He was sick and tired of the sticky feeling under his fuzzy feet.

     The room was seemingly untouched from the day, though Bonnie knew the routine by heart already. Having been watching in silent awe of the almost ritualistic persistence, not missing a single step even once. The children would leave, and within the hour everything would be swept clean- down to the crumbs hiding away in the corners, then in the morning, the staff would have a mad half hour before the doors opened, bringing out fresh balloons and party gear, replacing new hats in neat little rows on sparkling clean tables. Only the past few nights that mad half hour had turned into a frenzied two. All he could honestly say was it looked like himself and crew wouldn't be the only ones who wouldn't be missing the guard. At least based on the furious grumblings heard behind closed doors. Mouths that seemed oblivious to his presence.

   The bag was larger than it first appeared up close, and he guessed it was heavy to match, judging by the guards labored breathing carrying the thing inside. The zip was slightly undone, only enough to see the dark inside, not really enough to give its contents away. Neither did its shape, looking at it from outside, the average bystander would be none the wiser of what it held inside.

     The rabbit found his furry fingers quivering slightly as he took hold of the zip handle, feeling slightly anxious to find out the big mystery of what the crazy woman had deemed fit to bring with her this time. He was also really excited though, and almost as soon as he had clasped a second furry hand around the bags side, he tugged at the handle, first yanking it- then realizing it really could be a bomb, and then pulled at it cautiously. He could hear each and every tooth being undone, the slight vibration they made tickling at his palm.

   Bonnie couldn't really remember the last time he'd felt the way he did, but the motions of his robotic arms jabbed at the very depths of his internal memory. Like a virus had been planted years ago and had only just become active. He remembered faintly the mix of fear and exhilaration, tremors through his entire body- not just hid fingers. Something...whistling, a strange coolness through his fur. Fur that was longer, for some reason, but that can't be right.

     His fur had never been so long, it had always been clipped short, and certainly never brown. There was laughter; bright, happy, childrens laughter. A giddy noise that was somehow coming from him. Sure his voice was high, higher than Freddy's for certain, but definitely not high enough for that kind of sound. He could feel the sensation of something solid and rubbery in his hands. He felt wobbly, off-balance. An alert even went off in front of his optics before cancelling itself, but it was a good kind of wobbly, and the childlike laughter in his mind chortled with unrestrained glee.

     He didn't know how to feel about the phantom sensations wracking his body. And he didn't have time to make any sort of sense of it before they stopped dead, leaving him feeling more than a little disorientated. How long had he been standing there frozen? That wasn't normal- he knew normal and that wasn't it. Maybe he needed to clear away some extra memory- he was malfunctioning on his feet. 

     He ran a trembling paw down his muzzle, he could deal with this later, for now he just needed to get the pack and go. Too much longer and the others would come poking around. Speaking of the others, it was...strangely quiet, he couldn't hear the panic coming from the office down the East hall anymore. 

    Excitement from before having vanished, he pulled the zip down carelessly, too frazzled to really care if anything exploded in his face. 

   And then his metaphorical heart stopped.

 A small piece of something red poked out from the flap. That wasn't all, as amazing as that was- he nudged the flap covering the item inside with a half-hearted jerk of his wrist, leaving the hand attached to freeze. His hand was hovering over something that could rival the greatest treasures of the Pirate's stories. Neatly tucked away in the folds of the scruffily kept pack, was a guitar. Painted a vibrant red to match his clinckled bowtie, a small piece of his own embedded and sitting just below the bridge. His name was written along it's body in beautiful script, clean and meticulously drawn calligraphy.

      That guard was so past dead- he'd rip that door off it's damn hinges!


	13. A different kind of scary

"Night guard! I'm going to stuff YOU with this da-wheeere did she...go." The Bunny trailed off as he reached the back office. The echoes of his feet still echoing throughout the building, metallic clanking reverberating through his endoskeleton and ringing in his crooked ears. The Eastwards door was wide-open, with no sign of Foxy or the guard in sight, only Freddy slamming his head against the far wall on the opposite side. Poor bear looked ready to have an aneurysm. Only lucky for him, he was a robot, so that couldn't happen.

   Turning heel and backtracking his way towards the main hall, being mindful of the traps he and his friends had set up that afternoon and narrowly avoiding his own carefully balanced oil trap- perched precariously on the door to the game area just outside kid's cove. He passed Chica on the way, and she looked alarmed to see him storming through the pizzaria with the same furious energy as Freddy. He had always been pretty hot-headed, but that bun was a bun on a mission. And it showed.

    He had vanished from the birds line of sight before she could do little more than twitch in his direction, and he only stopped to hastily leap back as the tin bucket clattered to the tiled floor below, sloshing the bright yellow oil in a large puddle that clumped together the fur on his feet. Damn, he'd have to be really careful moving now, or he'd slip and knock a motor loose. Stupid trap being right where he left it- where he needed to be! 

    See, one thing he'd noticed in the short time the guard had worked here, was that as much as she enjoyed staying to watch all of the 'bots fall victim to her contraptions. She tended to listen to her instincts on the rare occasion she got into a pinch, and would flee to the farthest corner of the restaurant from her mishap. Of course she'd return full force a few moment later, but he saw the brief "uh-oh" moments for himself. She had to be somewhere, somewhere close by, because the only way she could get farther away from the back office would be to hightail it outta the building. She hadn't done that had she? Pft- nah, she wasn't that smart, or she'd have quit the day she smashed his treasure to bits. Or really the very first night if he thought about it. Why didn't guards do that anyway? Sure not many of them made it that far, he could only recall one lasting more than a week, but why didn't any of the few that made it past the first night stay? Maybe bad people where just really dumb, hmm, he'd have to run it by Freddy when he next had the chance. 

     Moving as quietly as he was able, which wasn't very considering the squeaking of his knee joints and the soft clattering his feet made against the hard floor. He tip-toed his way towards the prize corner, eyeing every single shadow that so much as twitched. Casting a glance to his left, he saw the show stage curtains had been opened wide, as opposed to their usual state of being kept shut to try and block out the camera. The scrawls of children and old photographs littered the walls as they did most of the entire building, with posters of him and his friends plastered against any free sections of wall of flaking white paint that hurt his eyes to look at. He slid his feet towards the stage, keeping an ear out behind him, just on the odd chance she managed to slip behind him. 

     He could hear a faint whirring noise just behind the stage, along with what sounded like- like snoring. Had she been stupid enough to fall asleep backstage? Out in the open? But he could hear her- right behind the bright red curtain! Steeling his nerve and letting go a breath he didn't realize he had been holding, he reached towards the tattered red cloth and whipped I back all in one swift motion, revealing none other than- Foxy, napping with his head resting against the evelated stage floor.

     The fox awoke with a startled snort, head snapping towards the noise with a scraping sound that made both of them wince. Rust had always been a problem for the Pirate fox, water based props weren't too kind to an animatronics joints. Nevertheless, it did little to hinder his movements, as he jumped upright after a few beats, almost slithering into a fleeing stance with agile movements one wouldn't expect from such a damaged creature. He was wearing an expression of alarm, that quickly dropped off his face with a huff.

    "Ye scared the livin' daylights outta me there Bonnie, what got ye in such a-" he started, tone jolly as he moved forwards to rest a paw on the bunnies shoulder. The rabbit in question swiped at it, nose twitching in a snarl.

    "Drop the Pirate accent would ya- this isn't the time! The guard! she-" he interrupted with a snap, before being swiftly cut off himself by a hearty guffaw, gruff from a handy audio voice editing system and complete with the sounds of the sea playing softly from the speaker hidden in his chestplate, for effect. After all, to be a true pirate, you had to have that dramatic flair.

    "There always be time for Piracy me lad!" he rumbled proudly, before adding in his usual voice "Only not the illegal kind, that's bad".

    Bonnie scoffed. "Isn't all pirating illegal? I thought that was their thing"

   The fox paused, mouth hanging open as the cogs in his head worked. "Well, i'm more of a privateer" he managed, and the rabbit stomped his foot irritably, swatting at the air as if to waft away the conversation and fixing the 'bot a meaningful glare. "Stop trying to distract me! You know very well what i'm here for- looking for the guard you let loose!" he snapped, awkwardly crossing his arms over his chestplate as snugly as his bulky build would let him.

    "I get that you like doing your own thing, but this, this is too far Foxy! Why are you so set on isolating yourself from the rest of us?" the bunny sighed, looking exasperated beyond words as he turned a full circle, feet shifting with unspent energy. 

     All of a sudden the fox's amused smirk faded, the spark in his eyes dimming as he fixed his face with a grueling calm as though he'd swallowed something nasty. The entire rooms atmosphere seemed to change with the animatronics mood, and bonnie felt a shiver run down Bonnie's back as he turned to face Foxy once more, startles to find that despite the fixed smile on his face, his eyes were cold. unfaltering with an old bitterness hiding in his golden iris's. It was hard, and it had the bunny quivering as though he really was a small rabbit in the wild, eyeing the predator that could have him ripped to small, bloody pieces if he had the slightest whim to do so.

     Foxy rolled his neck with a breathy grumble, making a mental note to request a maintenance check up- before remembering he was currently basically a scrapped project, so nobody would be checking him over anytime soon. "So, did you see it?" he mumbled almost too quietly, the only telling that the rabbit across from him had even heard being the flinching of his ears.

   Only Bonnie hadn't heard Foxy. Bonnie had heard something else. He heard the telltale creaking of metal on metal, signalling something, or more accurately someone, shuffling through the vents. So muffled by the walls that only his large, sound-sensitive ears could detect it. Before he could move to run in the direction of the sound, he felt a clawed paw wrap around his wrist and hold him in place with a harsh squeeze. It was almost as if the pirate fox had read Bonnie's mind, sensing that he had heard something that he couldn't and acting accordingly, quickly blocking the purple rabbits movements with a firm grip and an icy stare.

    Foxy could practically feel the fury radiating off of his old friends body as clearly as he felt the phantoms surrounding them. His joints creaked in protest against his own movements, painfully resisting his will as the whispers scrambled to gain control of their rebellious puppet. But Foxy refused to give in, he wasn't some pawn, he wouldn't allow himself to condemn another life to a miserable death once again! He wouldn't sit around and let his friends do it either, no matter how badly they seemed to want to. 

   Bonnie wouldn't be going anywhere.


	14. Sly fox

This guard was young. She had her entire life ahead of her, and she was...exciting. She brought a life to his friends eyes that had been dull for so long. So dead and void of- anything! He didn't understand how Freddy could even stand to pretend otherwise, to try and destroy the source of such a bright light that had wandered into the dark. But he'd be damned if he'd let him and the whispers have their way again- the foolish bear could play nice with them as much as he wanted, but he wasn't killing the guard- no, Shara.

     Only, to say something and to do something where two completely diffarent things. And the fox knew he'd be hard pressed to get the whole crew of 'bots dead set on murduring the girl to calm down. There was no way he could project her himself against all of his friends and have everyone, himself included, come out unscathed- even with the girl's usual antics luck would only get her so far, and he wouldn't always be there to get her out of a bind. No, if he did this, he'd need to get everyone else on side. And he needed to get it done soon. Only the problem was, he didn't have the slightest clue how to make that happen.

      First though, he'd have to take care of the rabbit, his grip would only last so long and his word alone wouldn't be enough to keep the character in place for long. Thinking on his feet, he forced his face to relax, eyeing the bunny animatronic with a lazy grin and raising his hook to his chestplate. 

   "Come Lad, i'll offer ye my assistance- we'll catch her yet" he rumbled authoritively, earning a suspicious glance from Bonnie, who didn't seem to be pleased as the fox was about the arm that had been wrapped around his shoulder. "Really? You're just gonna drop everything and go back to hunting the guard just like that?" he scoffed, obviously unconvinced by the fox's not-so-sly tricks. 

    "Can't a fox change his mind?"

 "When that fox is you, no. You don't exactly have the best reputation for doing things our way y'know" bonnie quipped, raising a judgmental eyebrow. 

   "Aye, well, people change- i'm still pretty mad about what she did to ye guitar" the fox simpered, voice like honey and tone laced with sympathy that the rabbit ate up like a carrot on Easter sunday.

 "Wha-really?" he asked, latching on to the bait and ears twitching with excitement.

 "Of course really- Bon, would I lie to you? My old friend of so many years?" Foxy preened.

"Well, yes, actually, yes you would"

"Ah, uh, well, would I lie about wanting revenge for those things the lass said to me that second night? Boy I was so offended I couldn't leave my Cove for the rest'a'the night" The pirate said mournfully, ears drooping as he brought a hooked hand dramatically to his head, shielding his single visable eye from view. 

     The rabbit drew a sharp breath, worry taking over his features. "What kind of things?" 

   The fox faltered a little, before making a swift recovery. "Uhh-- she said I was meant for the scrap heap, yes, she said I was furry junk!" 

    Bonnie gasped, appalled, and shook his head voilently, as if to shoo the words away. Resting a comforting hand on the fox's arm. "That isn't true and you know it! You'll get fixed up soon and those children will be delighted to have you back- let's go find that rotten guard and teach her what-for!"

    Foxy nodden enthusiastically, and quickly scurried after Bonnie, who bounded out of the room like a mad man, ears twitching for any source of noise to tell of the guards whereabouts. Suddenly, he halted just by one of the ventilation shafts of the high wall, just above both of both of their heads. The rabbit knew this very well by now, though he still made a halfhearted attempt to take a peek into it. Just as he was about to give up and walk away, he was startled to have foxy moving to grip around his waist, and the bunny swatted at the slightly larger animatronic, startled.

    "What are you-"

   "Just giving you a boost friend, we need to make sure she'd in there don't we? Or she might slip past us" foxy reasoned, and was pleasantly surprised when the purple rabbit slowly nodded, concenting to being liften up, which he did, hoisting the 'bot with reletive ease. And only minor damage to his hydraulics, which he could feel twinging as the pistons rattled in their respective frames. Once he was high enough, and had balanced himself against the wall, fingers clinging to the ledge of the vent, which now reached his waist. 

 "Nah, she'd not in here" he sighed.

"Are you certain?" the fox asked, his voice sounding as carefree as he could magage with the tons of weight piled on his fragile joints. "Take a closer look"

 Bonnie obliged with a huff, sticking his head into the opening after sticking his ears in first, and foxy heard the slight creaking of the bunny carefully straining to look as far as he dared, lest he get himself stuck, his metallic casing scraping against the interior shaft and producing an ear grinding squeak. Foxy took that as his cue to haul the rabbit animatronic as far as he could go into the small opening- arms springing to flail just a moment too late before they were rammed into the hole. Compressing against his torso with legs kicking out madly, trying to unlodge himself as well as trying to kick at the fox who had stuck him there. The fox in question took a moment to appreciate the sight of the furious rabbit sticking out of the wall, which only did so much to muffle his livid screechings. If he kept going like that, he'd frazzle his audio speakers. Still- it was pretty hilarious, maybe this was how the guard felt as she ran the group ragged? Foxy was lucky that the upper vents were so large, or his brilliant, totally-not-just-made-up plan wouldn't have traumphed!

    "I'll be seein' ya cottontail!" he hollered, before rounding the corner out of sight, leaving the bottom end of the bunny still kicking empty space madly with the thunderous screaming echoing throughout the walls.

    Meanwhile, foxy- looking all too pleased with himself, went to hunt for the nightguard. Hopefully before someone else got to her first, he'd prefer to keep his mutany on the down low until he could get her on board. Though if Chica or Freddy stumpled upon poor Bonnie, the cat would be out of the bag real quick. I seemed though, that the other animatronics were too concerned with the guard to hear much of their friend, as when Foxy went to turn the corner just shy of the parts and service room, he caught the sight of shadows dancing along the walls, along with what sounded like angry voices that he couldn't quite make out. One, he was familiar enough with to guess was Freddy, though there was another voice speaking over him that he didn't recognise. It was silvery and sly, though it sounded definitively male, ruling out both Chica and Shara altogether, and the fox found himself peeking carefully around the corner to see who the voice belonged to.

   "Oh, naughty girl, you made the poor Dear all flustered" it trilled in a mocking tone, and Foxy froze as he caught sight of-somthing wrapped around the bears shoulders like some sort of demented scarf. Though Freddy seemed entirely unconcerned, in fact Foxy would even say it was almost as if the bear didn't even know it was there. Hell, he didn't, not until he heard Shara answer it.

    "Can it stick-man! I wasn't yelling at you!" she hissed, eyes bypassing over hear furry captor completely and focusing solely on the grotesque creature softly sneering down at her. Foxy felt his metaphorical heart stop dead as he stood there shell-shocked, his body creaking under the weight of himself being the only sound he could bring himself to make. Maybe his plan wouldn't be as cut-and-dry as he thought it would be. Looks like thing would be a lot more complicated than dealing with his friends.

    Suddenly, Shara was screaming, lunging with surprising stregnth towards the creature, knocking it down from a very startled Freddy's shoulder and right onto the tiled floor below. There was a nasty crushing sound as the two bodies made impact, as well as the clanking sound of Freddy reeling backwards from shock. Foxy found himself moving forwards instictually, not quite sure how, but wanting to interviene as soon as possible. Whatever that thing was, he didn't want it anywhere near Shara. Or anyone, for that matter. It's body looked as though it was made of oddly bent limbs contorting into shaped that shouldn't be possible for something alive to feel it. It was truly the work of nightmares.

    "Ah-Foxy, you're here" Chica piped up, eyes flitting between him and the writhing mess of the floor between them. Freddy seemed aware of his presence too, much made no effort to show it, intent on watching whatever it was he was seeing. "Aye, what is that thing?" 

"W-what is- that's, uh, the night guard?" she managed, shooting him a questioning look that he wasn't sure he liked. "No-no, the thing wrestlin' with her" he grumbled, voice raising a pitch as he watched Freddy step forwards slowly.

   Chica's mildy concerned face now looked more like she was very openly questioning his sanity, so Foxy quickly deduced that no- he didn't like that look, he didn't like that look at all. Only he disliked the look Freddy was sending Shara's way more, and a menacing growl bubbled up in gritty audio feed before he even realised what he was doing. He just knew that he couldn't allow any harm to come to the girl, at least if he wanted his friends to ever become what they had once been again.

Had the situation been any different, the fox might very well have enjoyed the confrontational glint in the bears questioning gaze.


	15. I never liked mashed-potatoes anyway

  Okay, so maybe clocking the killer animatronic bear with a leadership complex wasn't quite the smartest choice to make. Especially when said bear already had Shara half-stuffed into a suit far too small for her body to fit-- but hey, in her defence she was still aiming for the grotesque stick man. She just missed was all. And Freddy couldn't see it. 

    She'd snapped out of the fog, her mind enjoying the first real moment of clarity all night after she had beaten the thing black and blue. Though that had gone both ways, and as she moved, she winced as the sensative parts of her body flared with soon-to-be bruised muscles flexing around her ribs. Foxy had practically ripped her off the thing, keeping it from pouncing back up on her restrained form by kicking it into next Tuesday with a snarl. Shara had practically gaped at the fox at that point. First he had let her loose just shy of an hour earlier from almost certain death in the office, and now he was defending her against things that she had been used to have people gawking at her for. It really was surprising, for all of her life she had been told that what she experienced was her own imagination, a fabricated reality that only she could live in-- then here came Foxy knocking the vile creature down without even a word from her. Hell, she didn't know wether to feel relieved or terrified. On one hand, she wasn't alone, someone else could see the monsterous creature other than herself. And on the other hand-- someone else could see the fucking monsterous creature other than herself! She didn't even know what is was before, so what would it even be classified now? If it was real, then what exactly was she dealing with now, that she had been dealing with for almost her entire life?

   Well, that was probably a better question for later, when she was hopefully not dead with half of her oozing out of an empty animatronic suit and instead alive to complain about to the bear for ripping her favourite jacket. 

     Foxy had wasted no time whatsoever in scolding the girl like a naughty toddler, plopping her back down onto the ground next to himself and closing a single hand tightly around her already bruised wrists to keep her attention focused on him. Though really she was more focused on the fact her wrists hurt, and that the fox was making them ache more. Wisely, she kept her comments regarding that to herself, the pirate fox didn't look in any mood to put up with her complaints.

    "Calm yourself down lass! I'm trying to do you a favour here, stop acting like a rabit dog for Pete's sake!" he grumbled, his voice steady and stern, his eyes betraying the stress of the situation weighing him down. If she didn't get ahold of herself soon, she'd have little chance of winning the other 'bots over, and he wasn't a miracle worker. He was flying blind here as it was. 

     To his surprise, Shara quickly stopped squirming, fixing the 'bot with a childlike pout and switching her weight onto one leg. She felt a little bit better after her catfight with Mr.Matchstick. It did feel good to use the guy who'd caused her so much stress over the years as a punchingbag. Though she supposed she would calm down, since Foxy asked so politely and totally not because she couldn't feel her bloodied hands anymore with that grip of his. 

    Foxy felt her wiry muscles slacken in his hands, though he held her there for a few more seconds for good measure. Wanting to be sure that she wouldn't go flying the moment he let her free. Thankfully, she didn't, and for a few moments there was calm, everbody taking a small breather from the scuffle. Until Freddy stepped forwards, his face dark and eyes intent upon Foxy. "Well done, Foxy, now give her to me and we'll settle this" he commanded, an unspoken challange in his voice, earning him a scoff from Shara, who stood between the two. Her head barely reached the pairs chests, but she still took it upon herself to scrunch up her face, folding her arms across her breast and makin a long, drawn out humming noise in her throat. 

     "Lass, i'm warnin' ye, stay calm" Foxy warned a few seconds too late, before the girl launched a bright green balloon at the bears face.

   The bear barely flinched as the paint splattered across his muzzle, and Foxy groaned as the metaphorical bubble of tension the night had built up burst right along with the actual balloon. The bear, now dripping in a horrific shade of lime green, roared mirthlessly as the girl patted the Fox's forearm, ducking out of the way of the bear, who had lunged at her. He fell to the ground with a loud clank, metal body scraping to a halt against the tiled ground.

    "Thanks for the save pal- let's talk when care bear isnt breathing down our necks k?" she quipped, a smile splitting her face as she darted past Chica, who was wiping away the green that had spilled into her optics with a whine.

   "Totally worth it!" she called as she turned the corner, with Freddy chasing her down hot on her heels with Foxy not too far behind. 

    "You couldn't just stay still for two seconds could you--you stupid--" he bellowed before Shara breathlessly cut him off. "Nope!". They all simutaniously skidded across the floor as they turned the sharp corner towards the East wing, Shara cackling madly as she ran.

   "You didn't seriously expect me to stay put did'jya?" she further giggled, eyes wide with fear that barely showed in her voice. When had Freddy gotten so fast? 

     Luckily, the fox was faster, as she had learned from first-hand experience, and he had very effortlessly passed the bear with scarily few strides. Looking past her shoulder, she giddily drank up the sight of the murderous bear animatronic seething at the sight of his rebellious friend overtaking him with a smirk. Only, this was when she made the mistake of quickly darting into the parts and service room, going to slam the door shut behind her only to find a discarded party had just blocking the door from latching. 

    Foxy, who had been running as hard as he was able to in order to catch up the the guard, ended up scrambling to stop in time, stopping just short of the door and passing it. Leaving just enough time for Freddy to dive inside, kicking the hat from the doors frame and pushing it shut with an almighty slamming noise that shook the building. Shara covering her ears to try and lessen the ringing in her eardrums, breath quickening in panic. She was trapped like a rat- nowhere to run too, with her path to the vent system obstructed by the bulky body of the murderious animatronic looming meacingly above her. Smirking manevolently. 

      As shara metaphorically shit bricks with her eyes swivelling dizzyingly in her eyesockets- looking for any sort of escape route to magically appear out of thin air, she heard Foxy scramble for the doorknob. Rattling it violently, shaking the entire door in its frame to try and get it open, but the doolatch stubbornly refused to budge, and the Fox resorted to trying to know the damn thing down- frantically pleading with the miniacal bear to reconsider.

     Freddy stepped forwards slowly, like a cat cicling a helpless mouse, almost playfully as he chuckled lowly. He turned towards the door, looking between her and the exit, a predatory grin strecthing across his face as his eyebrows raised in an unspoken taunt. 'I've won' it said, 'there's your exit, but you can't get to it can you? Because i'm in your way', and Shara curled her lip into a sulk, because he was right. It wasn't quite as funny when she was on this end of the stick.

     "Of all places to mess up, you mess up in here? Oh dear guard, I hope you know just how much we won't miss you" he goaded, feighning a sickly smile so sweet it could have given the guard cavities. Only the part were she was really dancing with death right now kinda ruined it. Maybe she should have heard out the fox after all.

     She hadn't really being paying enough attention to where she was running, and had ended up doing the bear a huge favour and ran headfirst to the death-kill room. Maybe if she had taken the time to actually look where she was rself she might'veat least been able to buy some time fussing as physically possible when Freddy would try to get her here. Her heart as racing like nobody's buisness as the looming animatronic continiued to approach her. Hammering in her chest so hard that the beating pusle in her neck moved neasueatingly against the back of her throat. And for every step that Freddy advanced, Shara took a hasty step backwards, retreating until her back met the icy cold stone of the walls, papers countless scribblings slipping onto the floor. Trying to keep out of the 'bots reach until the last possibly second.

   She could have sworn she saw stars when the bear suddenly lunged for her. Knocking backwards harder against the concrete as she ducked out of the way just a fraction of a second too late- Freddys paws just catching at her sleeve enough for him to firmly jerk her backwards.

      "I've done a bad Foxy!- i'm being manhandled by a robo-bear who wants to into fucking human-mashed potatoes!" she howled, kicking and writhing in the firemans hold she was being held in. Teetering dangerously as she was raised high above the animatronics head, her butt knocking his mini top-hat to the floor with a sound that unheard over the scraping of metal grunts of both the anthropamorphic bear and the night guard. So high up was dizzying, though the disorientation actually what in her favour, making it easier to thrash wildly in the bruising grip. Freddy's arms barely budged despite Shara's best efforts, rattling softly in their mechanical sockets as he trudged over to a hunched over form sitting in a shadowy corner of the room. Hiding just to the side of a messy counter scattered with various tools, blueprinnts and parts, an unsettling row of spare empty animatronic heads. Hallow eyes staring down eerily from the sidelines.

      Freddy almost sobbed with relief as he kicked up the discarded suit, watching it flop upwards and lay limply upright. It's golden head rolling off it's shoulders, leaving the empty pit of black where its neck should be open and ready to be filled. It was strange, he couldn't quite see the inside, despite the room being fairly well lit. It wasn't strange enough for him to pause for a beat as he twisted the struggling body in his massive paws to a somwhat vertical position though. Slamming the hollering guard down into small oraface with enough force to send a sharp jolt of searing pain thundering up her spinal chord, muscles twitching from the tremors running through her nerves. Though she didn't go in cleanly as Freddy had hoped. And his traumphant cry morphed into a exasperated groan when he saw that Shara had swung her legs forwards during the struggle. Effectively blocking the opening of the suit with her rear.

      "Dude calm down, this is starting to become unbearable! Hehehe--oookay oww that hurts, c'mon you barbearian stahp!"

    Freddy shook his head violently with a roar that could have rivalled a banshee. "Don't you . Ever Shut. Up?!"

      Shara smirked, one hand wrestling to push her waist up and out with her raimaining hand stayed firmly trapped in the bears ever-increasing grip. Hell, if he squeezed any harder her wrist would splinter into shards! Didn't that bag of bolts know it was bad manners to crush a lady's appendages whilst trying to murder her? Sheesh.

     "Hey, buddy, if i'm goin' out, i'm sure as hell gonna enjoy myself doing it!" 

     Freddy felt his faceplates overheating with frustration before the alert even popped up before his optics. The was just so much trouble- good riddance to her. He made a point to push down harder on the guards shoulders, shuddering as he heard the clicking and popping of joints under the pressure. Sure the position was diffarent that he was used to, but the process was still the same. He had done this so many times, but he sometimes forgot how involved the process of crushing a human to death really was. Ever bone shattered one by one, the squirming beneath his fingers would turn his stomach inside out as he tried to shut out the noise. Flesh would be by their own protuding bone,bodily fluids would seep onto the floor as internal organs were crushed- occasionally spilling out into the suit through gashes as flesh tore itself apart. He preffered crushing the skull first, it was kinder, faster, but not all guards stayed still long enough for them all to give them such an end. Even despite how much hate he felt to this one in particular, he still felt sick as he continiued to drive his arm further, further downwards.

       Unfortunately, or perhaps, fortunately. Although Shara could feel her own body very easily losing the fight against the dominating bears strength. She almost felt something...pushing back. Not against freddy, against her rear, and for a heart stopping moment she felt as though she would hurl. 'oh shit i'm gonna to be pancacked by beartron and a fucking suit that smells like the dump and a plumbers lovechild gone wrong!'. 

    Then, everything sstoppd, as though someone had hit the pause button on life, just as Foxy plowed straight through the door. It's hinges staying intact, whilst the wood crumpled like tissue paper as the 'bot stumbled into the room with a panicked expression of his face. Both eyes open wide and darting around the room as his feet worked to fight his forwards momentum that threatened to send him sprawling across the floor. Meanwhile, Shara breathed the heaviest sigh of relief she'd ever sighed before. Chancing a glance up to the bear frozen above her, face locking One of utmost dissatisfaction as the whispers in his ears grew into shouts of burning outrage.

Saved by the bell.


	16. Bonnie can be a butt sometimes

"Eh, I still think she'll croak it by the end of the week" one of the taller of the four day-shift employees announced, they had all decided to take a moment to step back from the day. The restaurant had three birthdays booked in, so the place was currently filled to the brim with screaming children running amok on a soda-fuelled rampage. They all were huddled up just outside party room three, keeping a watchful eye over the chatter inside and ignoring the pointed looks being sent their way by the waiting staff. He was a tall man, with a peppermint beard and a set of dark eyes with heavy looking bags to match.

The woman next to him was quick to join in, eyes widening a fraction in excitement. Clearly this was a subject she took interest in. "Did ya see the state of the place this morning? Booby traps everywhere! I heard she even knocked a door to pieces-"

"Whatever happened, that damn bear's been giving me the creeps all day- this rate i'll break out in hives, how do the kids stand that smelly thing?"

 "You gotta admit, the girls got some serious balls to stay here after what's been going on with the night guards- I certainly wouldn't wanna be here after dark. Besides, the pay isn't exactly brilliant, word on the grapevine is that some of the cooks are up'n' leaving cuz of the pay cuts" Another man reasoned, red hair reaching all the way down to his him a youthful appearance

"Y'now I heard that too, that and some of the new cleaners are threatening to go if they keep having to clean up after the newbie. You should hear what the seniors say about em, they're just happy they aren't wiping up after the creepy-ass robots again""

"Yeah, this place is on its last legs, if this guard bites the dust, then the pizzaria place won't be far behind" the smallest of the group grunted, looking unhappy about where the conversation had ended up. He was a cleanly kept man, though was leanly built, and the grayish tone to his skin gave him an overall sickly look, washed-out and tired. On top of his head sat a purple had very much like Shara's, the same bruise-like colour, only instead of identifying him as the 'night guard', it read 'day guard'.

      "Yeah, this place sure is a dump, huh?" a voice chimed in from behind the circle of employees, making each of them emit a hushed yelp and spin on their heels, towards the source of the intruding voice. Only to reveal a giddily grinning Shara, who seemed all but too happy to have caught them in the act of gossiping about her. She also looked tired, and anyone who had been paying enough attention would notice discomfort in her expression as she moved. As though she was in pain- which she was. Freddy had really done a number on her last night after all.

     The flash of panic that flitted across the groups faces didn't go unnoticed by the significantly younger woman, and she reveled in it. Their embarrassment fueling her soul, with the coffee in her hands taking care of her body. Yeah, sleep deprivation wasn't controlling her life. Sleep is for the weak! Who even wants to live past thirty anyway? 

     "Oh- uh, hey there...?" the flighty woman began, voice a little high. Shara shook her head, grin never leaving her face as she answered, "Shara".

 "Yeah, uh sorry, how long were you?"

"All of it"

"Ah, I see" she gulped, sharing a sheepish look with her coworkers, all of whom appeared just as rattled as her. Only being closest to the woman in question left her dealing with the brunt of her displeasure. Though the shortest seemed less so, more deflated, and he nodded towards the young guard before ducking back into the room of loudly shrieking streamers with a gruff smile that didn't reach his eyes. "uhh, y'know we really didn't mean to, uhh" 

"It's cool, but if you might wanna be a little more wary about what your saying and where, pretty sure Mr. Manager wouldn't like to hear his staff talkin' crap about the place he's running. Might get a little miffed if you know what i mean, and i'd hate for anyone to slip up, so to speak" the guard chuckled good-naturedly, mood maybe just a little bit sour thanks to the nights close call. 

   She didn't quite want to admit how terrified she'd been that night. She'd been pleasantly surprised at the curveball of her own little toys being turned against her, a thrill that she had welcomed. Though she'd thankfully managed to bypass most of them, totally deliberately of course. Pfft. As if it was luck- 'twas aaall skill. Only the fun had stopped after Freddy had cornered her within the parts and repair room. To be completely honest, a small part of her had been taking it all a bit too lightly- some of her not really believing that her life was in danger, knowing that the chase was there, but nothing was held in the 'getting caught' part. Not that this meant she was changing her little routine of running circles around her new homicidal robo-pals. That was much too fun. But she was certainly going to be a lot more careful. She'd tasted the threat now- she knew it was all too real, and she doubted that she'd get so lucky next time. If there was a next time, which hopefully, there wouldn't be.

    She offered another overly friendly grin to the remaining two, eyes a little too wide,which was weakly mirrored by the duo. Both apparently feeling very out of place all of a sudden, in the presence of the younger coworker.

       As she passed the dispersing group, she noticed for the first time how little she had actually seen of the restaurant. In fact, in the daylight, the place seemed almost alien, as she'd only ever really...felt her way around. She saw 'this way' and 'that way', a blind map of the building, seeing but taking no notice of anything that wasn't a place to hide, herself or her toys. She had always seen shapes without colour, tunnel vision she guessed. But although she'd always known the walls were covered in a paper of sorts, she'd never quite stopped to notice that the large majority of it were childish scrawls. 

    Of course, there were the odd news clippings and posters here and there, but the bulk of it was made up of, what she presumed was, the product of young childrens idolization of large furry robots, who could be heard faintly under the general chatter. 

   The bored-looking man had already slipped away, but his friends mulled around in the corridor, reforming just a ways away from the night guard, chattering to one another in much quieter tones. They learn fast. 

      Along the ceiling of the hallways, what looked like decorative fairy lights at first glance. Had actually turned out to be small sparkly stars strung up with very fine string, or wire. It was too thin to tell. They were pretty, and reflected the light very well, adding a charming glitter to an otherwise unappealing corridor. 

    Stepping into the party room, she first noticed the large, shimmering 'happy birthday!' banner hung up around a set of rosy red curtains at the stage. With the remnants of old streamers clinging to its staticy surface, with bouquets  multicolored balloons flanking both sides. Paper crafts and star wind-chime like decorations dangling from the ceiling, though below lay a mess of children, running around berserk whilst their parents attempted at polite conversation amongst one another at their tables.

       The animatronics were down off of the stage, which didn't surprise you in the least. You'd been helpfully informed of the 'free roaming mode', which apparently made the fact they were sentient completely logical. They all seemed completely at ease, well, they would if she was a small child. She could practically smell the disappointment in each of their faces. Behind those fluffy masks, they were seething, and it almost made her a little too nervous to approach them. Almost.

      One 'bot was noticeably absent, the pirate in question nowhere in sight. She had an inkling as to where he might be, but couldn't quite figure out why it was he wasn't out there with the rest. Surely the others wouldn't shun him out just because he didn't want to make her die a horrible death...right?

    Steeling herself, reaching a nervous hand towards her very bare key ring, she took a deep breath. The feeling of her lungs expanding inside of her giving the woman a small sense of comfort. She totally got this!

_________________

 She don't got this. 

    "U-uhhh, i asked where Foxy is? Not rocket science here Bunny-boy" Shara chuckled, voice a little off key. The children that had parted a little for the adult had left a wide berth, chose this moment to close it, laughing along with her. Completely oblivious to the tension between the two.

      Bonnie made a face, the movement of his lower jaw rustling the fabric of his bright red bowtie. He looked down at his little groupie's, then back to Shara. His eyes squinting a little at the smug look on her face. 'play nice bon-bon, there are little ears listening' it said.

     One of the smaller girls had apparently noticed the rabbits hesitation, and patted his leg with a concerned expression on her chubby, round face. "Mister Bonnie, are you alright?" she squeaked, the sound of her voice that could melt hearts and eyes that could end wars worldwide.

     It made the night guard feel sick.

     Shaking her head a little to clear her mind, she offered the girl the biggest smile she could spread across her cheeks. Meanwhile, Bonnie had knelt down to pat her blonde head, smiling fondly.

    "I'm alright, just a little sad" he comforted, a flash of cunning sparkling in his rouge eyes. He pointed up at the night guard "This girl always beats me at tag, she's a big meanie!"

     All of the children gasped in unison and turned on the woman, stomping angrily little feet at the big bad bully. Whilst she shot a 'how dare you' look towards the triumphant rabbit, and flustered babbled excuses to appease the swarm of toddlers advancing towards her.

     "I-i don't bully him-- no, no we just, play rough! That's right! We're best-friends? He's just teasing you" she finished lamely, palms sweating at the horde of children that she hadn't the first clue how to deal with. Shooing wouldn't work in this situation, right?

      One of them yelled something suddenly, and the group began their attack. Little fists clinging to her shirt at all angles, until everyone toppled over in a heap. Bonnie heaving with laughter as his minions fought bravely against the evil grown up, piling onto her in a writhing mess of body parts. 

      "BON-BON YOU AS--" her brain scrambled to think of a quick cover up. Resulting in her shouting, instead: "CUNT!". Which, in turn, caused the mob to gasp as a whole, and continue to grab at whatever their hands to grasp into. Fingers tangling into her hair and pinching at her cheeks, feet kicking at her back and something tugging at her-- wait was that little shit trying to give her a wedgie?!

 Her question was answered in the form of a sharp tug, and a nasty surprise a few seconds later. The hands tugging a her underwear succeeding in their quest, and then slipping, the owners feet slamming into her painfully crotch shortly after. 

      "H-hey! Quit it! Get off of meeee" Shara whined, muffled by the bodies on top of her. The weight squeezing the breath from her lungs.

 

     It was a full half an hour before she managed to crawl from beneath the pile of kids, grunting as she slipped under the familiar set of purple curtains in a quieter corner of the room. She heard all of the children stop, having realized their captive had escaped, and all ran off in search of their victim. None of them considering to check behind the cloth barrier, which was, to them, out of bounds.

     "Heheheh, little rascals giving' ye a hard time i see", a gravelly voice snickered, a single golden eye glowing in the dim light. "So, what brought you here so early in the day lassie?".

     "Hey Foxy-boy, how's stuff? Did you get a new haircut?" Shara cheerily greeted, hair a dishevel led wreck, much like the rest of her. Like she'd been dragged through a bush backwards. 

     Foxy grinned, a warm look in that one eye of his, not entirely unlike the one Bonnie had given his minion horde just a short while ago. "What can i say, the cap'n has ta look his best" his smile dropped a little, "but seriously, what are ye doing here?".

     "Came to see you, that aint obvious by now?", Shara stood, straightening out her clothes as she rose, and gestured down to herself, "alive and well, as you can see".

     The fox scoffed. "Aye, and ye'd be better had ye not ran off"

     "In place of what? Your better judgment"

    "Damn straight." foxy affirmed boldly, and Shara whistled. "Never thought took you as a curser, what if little ears heard ya?"

    Foxy's shoulders drooped a little. "Little ears haven't heard this voice of mine in a long time" he sighed, a wistful frown marring his muzzle. Perky ears flopping inwards a tad.

      "Well i'm still breathin', you can celebrate anytime now" 

      "Can't ye just be serious for two goddamn seconds?"

 "Nope, we talked about this, remember?"

     "Pipe down and listen damn you" 

     Shara sighed. "Fine, fine, 'm' all ears" she relented, plopping down straight to the creaky floor, cross-legged, with a thump.  

    The pirate fox groaned a long, drawn out moan, rubbing the space above his muzzle with his hooked hand. Then thought better of it, and switched to his paw, ears twitching irritably.

     His face grew oddly tense, a deep frown settling on his muzzle as he rested his weight against the back wall. He looked so...worn out all of a sudden. It didn't suit him. 

     "We've been here along, long time, lass" he began, and shara found herself paying rapt attention. Back a little straighter as she listened intently to the anthropomorphic sentient robo-fox. "The others-- they aren't bad, they're just...we're just stuck in a bad situation. I don't think it's something we, well, anyone can fix but--" he stammered. Shara didn't like this. He looked too sad, helpless. "I think, since ye came to this place, everyone just seems...happier. They look alive again", the fox, who had a faraway look in his eye, refocused on the night guard. Who was picking at the flesh on her arm, uncomfortable.

        She was confused a little about the fox, but she was happy that he seemed to welcome contact with her. It was nice, nice to see a somewhat friendly face, and after the first race she'd ran against him-- she was suddenly very thankful that he wasn't hostile. She doubted that she'd be able to outrun him every night. Not with everyone else on her tail. She faintly wondered how she never really thought to think about it before.

    One thing that had been on her mind, was what had motivated them to start this cat-and-mouse game with the night guards in the first place. Only now didn't seem like the time to ask, so she didn't.

     "What i'm tryin' to say, is that, i'd like ye to try and make nice with everyone".

"Well that makes my life easier considering I was gonna do that anyway"

 "I know it's a lot to ask after- wait, really?"

   Shara nodded simply, shrugging whilst tracing imaginary lines in the ground with the tip of her foot. "yeah".

Foxy shook his head as though to physically shuffle the contents of his brain into order. The night guard smirked. Such a silly fox, think by now he'd have realized how little regard she had for safety. She as willingly spending her nights in a death-kill robot party for minimum wage nightly for fucks sake. Did he seriously think that making hello hi friends with her wannabe murderers was a step too far? Is that honestly what he was thinking? 

      "Why else do you think i'm bringing my special friend-making toys in from now on?" she said happily, and the excited look on the fox's face dropped into concern. "Toys?"

   "Yep! Quick question- are you guys fireproof?"

    The fox suddenly looked worried, wringing his hands nervously as he shook his head, the surface absent of any material to muffle the clicking of metal-on-metal. "Ah, damn, i'll have to ditch the fire hose of death. Ironic name huh? It thought it was clever"

     "I think it sounds dangerous" the fox commented wearily, knowing better than to try and dissuade her.

    "Yeah, it is, cool huh? I'd really recommend staying put here tonight, I won't be held responsible for any damage to that furry butt of yours if ya don't heed my super cryptic mysterious advice" shara hummed in a-matter-of-fact manner. Hands clasped behind her back and leaning forwards sweetly. If Foxy could sweat, it'd be pouring off of him. Should he warn everyone?...nah.

     "I thought ye said ye were gonna try to play nice with everyone" he grumbled a little unhappily, body creaking as he shifted his weight a little. Shara nodded, "and I am".

     "Last I checked causing grievous bodily harm wasn't how folk made their mates lass"

    "Last I checked trying to kill someone wasn't how people made pals either, I'm not gonna kiss up to someone just to make friends, it's weird, besides, it's just no fun, then i'd have to suck up to them forever" the young woman countered, crossing her arms like a sulky toddler to solidify her point.

"Hey! She's hiding here! Behind the curtain!" A small voice screeched. Followed by a chorus of tiny footsteps stomping over to the cove. "Get her!".

     Shara squeaked in alarm, and sent a pleading look to the pirate animatronic, who had the decency to feign a look of deep consideration. Before smiling, lazily waving a hook towards her. "Ye don't have too much fun now"

 "Traitor!"

"Chaaaaaarge!"


	17. Back to normal...almost.

The telephone startled Shara off of the swivel chair. The tools she'd been mythering clattering to the floor around her as she landed hard on her arse. Smooth, real smooth. She thanked her lucky stars she hadn't landed on them, that'd have smarted a lot more than the floor. Especially since most of her tools involved pointy edges, hard edges, or both. 

    Wait, hadn't she turned that thing off? Heck, she could've sworn she unplugged it after her second night. Wonder who plugged that back in, and why, since it seemed pretty much useless otherwise. Who even used dial ups like that anymore anyway? The keys were so sticky from a suspicious looking residue that the buttons barely even worked, and it looked as though that had been the case for a while. Now that she thought about it, she'd never seen the guy who left those recordings around. Perhaps he quit, he had mentioned he had been 'finishing up his last week', after all. 

     She'd have to get his name from someone. Have a little hello hi and talk about near death experiences together. Preferably with food involved. 

     Rubbing her sore behind, she stiffly worked her limbs into a sitting position. As much as she enjoyed being sprawled across the floor like some sort of starfish, she needed to get a move on. Twas payback time, of epic proportions! Haha! And those fluffbutts probably thought she'd played her last, no siree, she had plenty more tricks to keep the game interesting. Some of which may or may not be slightly a little bit a lot illegal and may or may not involve things that go 'kaboom'. Bombs, she was talking about bombs. Or more accurately grenades, very small ones. Less 'they'll kill and or maim you' and more 'you'll feel it tomorrow' kind of firepower. She'd even bought spare tiles and plaster to repair any damage that will probably occur. She was such a good person. 'n' it was all thanks to the extremely kind neighbour, who she possibly blackmailed with pictures of his scandalous affair, donating to her very important cause. No need to ask where it was she had obtained said photos.

     She had made sure to count how many she had, and planned to keep track of how many she used. To be sure she collected them all before the snot-rags came in, she was nothing if not irresponsible. At least she could say she was trying to be the responsible adult that she was not. 

     With an approving look at her upgraded arsenal, she set off to hide her stash throughout the building. Only stopping halfway through the doorway when she heard the familiar spitting static. The sound that foretold that wise words were coming her way. By that she meant that there was a recording incoming, and that the crackling speakers would soon give way for--

    "Hello, hello?"

 Mr-phone-maaaan, yay! How's the wife 'n kids? Did you get a new haircut? She'd have said something sooner but she couldn't see your head.

    "Hey, you're doing great! Most people don't last long--"

   Oh really? That's surprising. Wonder why.

 "--I mean, you know, they usually move on to other things by now. I'm not implying that they died."

 Pshhh, of course not. This is the safest place on Earth, who'd ever get murdered a horrible death here? Oh wait, that's right, she forgot-- only, everybody!

   "Th-th-that’s not what I meant. Uh, anyway I better not take up too much of your time. Things start getting real tonight."

    Oh, sorry, excuse her, she was under the impression this was all currently as 'real' as it could get, and that nothing could possibly get any worse. Wait, worse? How so? This was the safest place in the world remember? Silly phone man person.

   "Uh... Hey, listen, I had an idea: if you happen to get caught and want to avoid getting stuffed into a Freddy suit, uhh, try playing dead! You know, go limp. Then there's a chance that, uh, maybe they’ll think that you're an empty costume instead. Then again if they think you're an empty costume, they might try to... stuff a metal skeleton into you. I wonder how that would work."

 Simple, it wouldn't. They're robots, not idiots.

"Yeah, never mind, scratch that. It's best just not to get caught."

Yeah, yeah that's a better idea. Good plan, great plan.

    "Ummm... Ok, I'll leave you to it. See you on the flip side."

    Okay, that was a bald-faced lie. You hadn't seen head nor tail of the guy at all, and it had been a whole-almost week. This guy seemed to have a compulsive lying problem. Damn fibber. 

      Shrugging off the message, she continued her way down the west wing. Stopping by pirates cove only to give the closed curtain a once over. Just making sure that the foxy boy wouldn't, in fact, be around to spoil the little surprise she had in store by being a tattle-tail. 

     She hauled her bag of goodies towards the party room, deciding to work her way back around to the office. She didn't let her eyes wander to the parts and repair room.

      "So, little miss, what's on the agenda tonight?" a silvery voice hissed in her left ear, cool breath tickling her neck, as she suddenly became aware of the soft pressure settling itself on her shoulder.

     "Y'know, these mood swings of yours really make my life difficult" she grumbled, casting a wary glance to the disturbingly pleasant smile being sent her way. The creature, apparently having cast off it's aggressive tendencies in favour of a more polite, yet still somehow...dangerous, persona. "You need to make your mind up"

      A throaty laugh blew into her ear, and she knelt down to the doorframe of the game room, nails prying the woodwork away just slightly, enough for her to secure a piano wire around I girth. Hands quivering from the strain, the wood itself creaking in protest, threatening to splinter at any moment. She'd arrived just a little too late to risk drilling into the thing, having missed the golden hour of prep she could have had when the 'bots powered down to recharge a little for the night ahead. They were awake now, she could hear them clanking around somewhere to the front of the building. Mechanical whirring distracting her a little from the fiddly  trinkets at her fingertips. 

 After a few ticks of silence, the creature shuffled to the floor, resting a delicate claw on the night guards knees, careful to keep out of her way as she worked. "Well, dear, if I didn't mix it up on occasion there'd be no fun to this little game now would there? Admit it, I keep you on your toes" it smirked, turning a cheek slyly as you blew out a snort, "yeah, sure, that's what you do" you murmured absently, gritting your teeth at the low light you had to work by. 

 "Hey, mind scootching a little bit? Your head's blocking the light" 

"Rude", it scoffed, but obliging nonetheless.

"Not my fault your face is bigger than your everything else" 

Another snort. "Cute. Real cute, yknow I could always change my mind about being kind today" 

"If you do then I'm afraid I'm going to have to weld you to the ceiling fan for the night" 

___________

Freddy stalked through the west hallway, carefully, keeping his clanking footsteps impressively light. His mood was surprisingly high in view of what had been happening lately, especially his crushing failure the night before. Something about the gleeful laughter of children just really brightened his spirits. Maybe it was the programming, but he liked to think that it went a little deeper.

 It was during quiet moments like this, the ticking minutes just between the night and day shifts, that he felt truly as though things were right as they were meant to be. Everything was settled in for the night, and he was winding down after a hard, but fun, day's work. They didn't need night guards here, they were all better off with that sour memory shoved under the carpet. No need to keep stirring old wounds, they were agitated enough.

 Moving lithely through the corridor, he stopped abruptly at the sound of a door creaking shut. Just as the clock behind his eyelids struck twelve. After so long, keeping track of time, time that everything eventually boiled down to, he had soon enough become his own timekeeper.

 It was odd, to find a door shutting at this time at night, as the only ones roaming around freely at this time were himself and his fellow animatronics. None of whom ever took the time to close the door behind them-- too much hassle. With their bulky casings, maneuvers like that we're tricky at best and frustrating at worst. When children were present, it was protocol to shut doors after themselves, but none of them ever bothered when they didn't have to. Which could only mean one thing. The night guard was in there. Maybe, just maybe, she hadn't noticed him yet? Could this be his lucky night?

 Stealthily, moving as though his entire sanity relied on him staying unnoticed (which it did), he carefully nudged the  door open a fraction. The only sound escaping him being the unavoidable ticks and mechanical parts creaking, and the slight whoosh of hot air circulating through his ventilation system long past a much needed tune-up.

 After a few moments of a whole lot of nothing, he made up his mind. Pushing the door wider to allow himself through, carefully pushing it flush against the wall.

 The bear animatronic yelped a pitch or two too high as his body jolted. A high-pitched honk piercing the silence like knife through butter, scaring the poor bot half to death as his metaphorical heart shuddered to a dead halt.

 A bit too winded to be furious, he ripped back the door. Slamming it shut so hard the door rattled in its frame. There, taped messily to the wall, lined up perfectly with the doorknob, was a foghorn. Of course, it was taped perpendicular to the floor, and it seemed that it had very nearly been knocked off before it had been set off. 

 The bear let out a roar of frustration, the sound interrupted by a faint click of the door latching shut. "Tonight's just not your night huh bear-boy? It's not even one yet!". 

 The string of curses that were screamed in that room would have put all sailors to shame. 

_________

 

 Bonnie skidded around the corner, almost taking the turn too sharply, barely avoiding toppling right over. Ahead of him, Shara was quite happily trotting just out of reach, smugly twirling around to make faces at him as she went. They'd been running laps around the building as though it was a circuit. The night guard barely breaking a sweat, whilst Foxy had taken to leaning against the wall just outside the main hall. Watching the two racing past every few minutes with a mix of amusement and disgruntlement. 

 "I SWEAR TO GOD I'M GONNA WRING YOUR SCRAWNY LITTLE NECK" he beard Bonnie screech from across the building, mad cackling following close behind. The sound of heavy footsteps pounding against the floor, sending vibrations through the building, "that's not the kinda thing a kiddies idol should be screaming at 2AM!". 

______________

 

"Not the sword again" Bonnie groaned as you wielded your questionably obtained weapon, the pep in his step having faded over the short few hours. Turning intp something more of reluctance. He seemed tired, and definitely not the good kind. 

    "Aww c'mon cottontail- don't tell me you're losing your spunk so soon- the week's not even over! Show me that fire from last night" she goaded, ducking as she heard the soft clanking of footsteps behind her and slamming the wooden blade onto the small of the bears back. "Be more like furry-face here--", she snickered as she gestured to the bear, who had at some point managed to pry the door open and escape, "he even almost got me last night".

    Bringing up the weapon again, arms taut and ready to strike, foxy made a half-hearted plea to the guard, a lazy grin stretching across his mouth.

       "Shara--no"

"Shara yes"

   The bear was promptly smacked across the behind, the guards eyes never leaving the fox's for a moment, almost in defiance. She needed to be bold in order to establish dominance! Wait, she'd used that metaphor before. She needed to be... uh, eh, fuck it. The fox would learn in time, that she did things, like she did everything- her way. And she wasn't playing suck-up to win the 'bots affection even if that meant risking getting throttled by the bear and or bunny. Chica seemed content to continue sulking in her kitchen. She'd been hiding away all night for some reason. Strange, Shara didn't recall doing anything specific to offend the chicken lady, of course that didn't mean she hadn't done anything. Ah well, it'd sort itself out...probably.


	18. Unfortunate news

Freddy was a clever little shit, She'd give him that much. Whilst she considered all of them dangerous in their own right, with the exception of Foxy. Who had been docile for almost the entire week of course. Freddy was probably the most cunning of all the animatronics, she'd noticed. See, both Chica and Bonnie seemed to act as distractions for the bear- regardless if they knew or not, and she doubted they did, nor noticed it, since Bonnie was far too proud to act as such. And he seemed acutely aware of the cameras in every room-- hiding in their weak spots to the point of being barely visible. Had she chosen to stay put in the office, looking for the bear would have probably drained her power dry within hours. If the others hadn't gotten to her first anyway. So it was probably good that she didn't stay put. If she hadn't seen him skulking around with her own eyes she would have sworn he could bloody teleport.

     he also seemed to be the only other 'bot apart from Chica who ever entered the kitchen, unless she led them into it herself. Bonnie preferring to remain scowering the hallways. and his microphone was practically an extension on the guys hand, almost to the point that it was weirder than animatronics stalking night guards and stuffing them into empty suits of themselves. it barely ever left his hand, bonnie was attached to his guitar sure, but he at least put it down to walk around. she couldn't quite understand why this bothered her so much, it just bugged her to watch the guy in hot pursuit with the little thing clutched tightly in his paw. Which she had often seen him fiddling with in-between chases, grimacing at his left paw with what looked to be a small piece of fabric in his fingers. 

 Maybe it was a weird thing to notice, especially with the fact that she'd have her work cut out for her trying to avoid death without distracting herself with looking for small quirks. Hey she was entitled to being a little  odd now and then. Besides, what was so weird about paying a creepy amount of attention to a robots hands? If she wasn't careful they'd be the things making a grab fir her after all! It was for science! Well. That, and she'd be lying if she said she wasn't a little intrigued. The bear didn't seem like the fiddly type. Too immaculate and proper to fidget, his character was rigid and  straight as a board, at least, most of the time. Which made his temper tantrums all the more glorious, and his slip ups more so. Between antagonizing him and the rabbit, she was really spoiled for choice. 

    She also noted that Chica seemed to be the least aggressive of the bunch. She was attentive though, and had she shared Bonnie's enthusiasm she'd probably be quite the force to be reckoned with. But instead she was quite flighty, permanently insecure with her actions and apparently proffered to act under direct instructions. although she had recently discovered why bonnie seemed to enjoy spending copious amounts of time within the closet at least _, as she'd found a small skylight there. she suspected that maybe he just liked stars._

__________

Shara looked up just at the right moment to watch both Freddy and Bonnie to make a hasty halt just in front of her little surprise. In fact, it was only fair to credit freddy for noticing, as had he not had the foresight to yank Bonnie back with him by the scruff of his neck, he would've born the brunt of the fun. 

 Small, plastic cups, all filled to the brim with soda had been lined throughout the hallway. Each and every single one dotted within perfect centimeters of another, and she'd just finished plopping the last one down. Swatting reprimandingly at thin air as she flickered her gaze upwards. Hissing something under her breath as she turned her attention ti the two, grinning. 

 The robo due took a moment to drink in the sight. Giving the whole display a wide berth, knowing better than to trust such a seemingly innocent showcase. Of course, all the while shooting the all too smug looking guard standing proudly and noticeably spotless at her place safely at the other side of the building. 

 "what is all this?" Bonnie grumbled as he knelt by the closest cup, getting as close as he dared to it before giving it a gentle prod. Bracing himself for a messy consequence. 

... Nothing happened. 

 Pushing himself up to his feet, turning to Freddy with a smirk, "it's just soda, we can get through no problem!" he declared smugly. Patting the bears arm reassuringly as he stepped into the sea of little Styrofoam cups, ignoring the pointed look he got from the guard at the other end. 

The bear didn't though. She seemed just a little too... Excited. 

 "thought something like this would stop us huh? You're running out of ideas huh? You've lost your edge--" the bunny goaded as he carefully hopped through the carefully provided spaces that barely allowed his giant mechanical feet room. Excitedly glancing towards the bear, who was mimicking him in trying to make his way through. Stubbornly crushing his hat against the top of his head, which had been covered in a thick layer of neon pink paint, excluding the hat. No. The hat had survived. Too bad he couldn't say the same about the rest of him. The bunny wasn't much better, also covered in everything from paint to eggs and a suspicious looking liquid they'd both decided was definitely not chocolate but they really hoped it was. It was starting to get really hard to wash these nights of hers off their fur. 

 The night guard herself was pretty much spotless. Having already swept through the building to disarm all of the arsenal the animatronics had set up with impressive speed. Then again, they had been her own, so they couldn't really complain about them being easy for her to get rid of, that didn't stop them of course. They had been a huge trump card, slowing her down and partially eliminating her primary escape source/ network of pop up points of the ventilation system. 

They'd gotten about halfway through before she spoke up in response to Bonnie's taunt, though the silence had gone mostly unnoticed in their concentration. The rustling of clothing catching their attention as they watched the guard rifle through a small bag strapped to her hip, pulling what looked like a small watch from the pouch before zipping it shut. 

 "losing my edge? That what you think? Huh, I'll take that as an invitation to step up my game then" she said promisingly, more to herself than to her audience, though Freddy still made to swat at the bunny for encouraging her. "ah well, I have a suggestion to make" she added casually, lazily slouching against the wall as she popped something sweet looking into her mouth. The sweet muffling her words slightly. 

 "I'd say you have about... Three?" 

The triumphant grin on Bonnie's face faltered, and the two 'bots shot one another a look. Bordering on fear. 

"T-Three what?" Bonnie stammered, eyes darting for every possible hiding place of one of her traps but finding nothing. 

"three... Twoooo~ and~"

As if on cue, the formerly clean, relatively easy to bypass floor became a frothing cauldron of soda. The cups suddenly erupting their contents like dormant volcanoes. The froth bubbling up, out and spewing in mini geysers, which wouldn't have been too bad by themselves. Only they weren't by themselves, there was an army of them filling the hallway! Both animatronics jumped a mile in shock at the first few, pushing themselves ahead of one another in a pathetic attempt to escape. Tripping over one another to get the hell out of there before the got caught up in it, the panic in their eyes glorious. Only to find that their escape route had already become a tsunami of bubbles, and pretty soon they where both on the floor. Trying to detangle their hulking limbs as their servos became sticky messes in the chaos. 

 The night guard, however, was completely unfazed by this display, having been standing way out of range by the time it all set off. Though another kind of trouble was plaguing her. That being: she was laughing so hard that she literally couldn't breath. Freezing menthos in ice had been a brilliant idea, though it was a shame they took so long to melt. 

The wheezing tickles of laughter only infuriated the bots more. The shrieks of mirth could be heard all throughout the building as the angry yelling screeched to rival it. The night guards knees felt weak, and she collapsed to the floor in a fit of blissful snickering, trying to ride out the happy fit as she slowly slid out into a starfish on the floor and sucking in greedy gasps of air. Pounding the ground as the momentary composure fell away at the seams. 

 After a few more rounds of merciless giggling, she finally recovered enough to push herself up to her feet again. Still reeling from the shortage of oxygen her laughing had caused. It was tine to get going, before the bubbles died down enough for the two to get loose. That had been, by far, one of the best pranks she'd pulled, she'd decided, as she slunk away. Clutching the wall as she walked to keep herself upright. The duo's faces! She'd have payed good money to have gotten a picture of the panic on their faces in that moment. Oh wait! The security cams! Ohoho yyes--this was gonna be her new wallpaper. In fact, thus was gonna go on the wall, pride of place! The centerpiece of her wall of victims. Which consisted mostly of the animatronics now. Who new this job would give her such good playing material? Sure it was eating into her wallet with all the new toys but in all honestly that didn't really bother her l. Why would it? She still had all those incriminating photographs of all those neighbours. She'd really struck the goldmine with this one. 

Then the spark died. As the relative quiet gave her much too much time to reflect,and with reflection came the unhappy memories of that evening before the bell chimed. 

 It was unfortunate that Mr. Phone Man hadn't made it through the night. For some reason, even though she'd never met the man, she felt an unusual sense of comradeship with the faceless voice. Like a team, a team that didn't know one another but shared the same hardships even though they weren't really hardships for her. The point was she wasn't happy he'd been brutally death-killed. Though it did kind of explain why she'd never seen him around, or heard his voice anywhere or anything. 

 She'd have to check those empty suits before she left. Maybe if she was unlucky, he'd still be there, and she'd get to help choose the grave in lieu of visiting it. 

 The sound of the guys falsely cheery voice was still stuck in her mind. The sound of him nervously chattering to a person he knew he'd never get the Chance to meet sending chills down her spine. Faint knocking sounds and eerie laughter filling the background static, until that heart stopping screech brought it all to an end. 

The day had actually started off pretty well too. At least until then. The devil stickface had mostly left her to herself for the day, and she felt in oddly high spirits. Pity that the nagging whispers in her ear hadn't shut their nonexistent faces but hey, beggars can't be choosers and all in all, the day had been pretty good. She'd even been able to look in the mirror without mirror boy giving her heck--though it had given her the opportunity to notice the deep, black bags under her eyes. Damn even her bags had bags, and her pallor akin had an healthy, even sickly, sheen to it. She shuddered at the memory, she hated mirrors. 

 It was a while before she heard the telltale sounds of the two boys rejoining the hunt. Quickly clicking through the cameras confirmed it, as they'd apparently decided to stick together, which was unusual, and by the way freddy was waving his arms about, he was giving poor Bonnie an earful. Though she didn't know what about, since he'd walked right into her trap perfectly well by himself without Bons help. 

 Oddly enough, it seemed Chica was still fussing around in the kitchen. She'd been there almost all night now that Shara thought about it, almost as if she was sulking. The curtain to Pirate's Cove was drawn shut, so, deciding it best nit to disturb the fox for the night, she slid into the kitchen. 

 The door barely even squeaked in protest at the movement, allowing Shara to sneak inside without disturbing the quiet. The only noise coming from the hushed clatter of Chica doing... Whatever it was she was doing, and the soft clicks of her moving about. The kitchen was almost spotlessly clean, but it was dark, the only offered light coming from the animatronics eyelights. Casting a ghostly sheen across the metallic environment. 

 The countertops where mostly big, black shapes to Shara, lining around the room with the centerpiece of an island of ovens with sleek, modern looking hobbs at their tops. She didn't like the dark too much, though was just curious enough at Chica's activities to turn back. She kept glancing uneasily into the gloom as she approached the giant chicken, it stared back. Black tendrils resembling hands with long, slender fingers crept for her feet, edging across the floor like snakes slithering towards an unsuspecting mouse. 

**_" Not ssafe"_**

**_"Go, g o to the light!" _ **

**_"It's coming"_ **

**_"it br eathes in tthe shadows"_ **

 Unnerved, Shara quickly stepped over the grasping fingers. Skin crawling as she mindlessly sought the only source of light. Instinctively reaching out towards the dull glow that offered a sense of comfort, a sense of relief. 

 "What is it Fred--wait, Night Guard?!" 

 The started yelp snapped Shara out of the haze. Instantly fixing the expressionless fog on her face into a bright, gleeful smile. Eyeing the bird with a mischievous giggle, "Sup birdbrain?. 

"whatever you're planning. Un-plan it, I just want to be left alone okay?" 

"that's kinda hypocritical of you to say dontcha think? I mean I'm no rocket scientist but I'm pretty sure most of my predecessors wanted the same thing" 

 Instead of the snapping response Shara expected, Chica just seemed to deflate instead. Shoulders sagging as much as her bulky frame would allow as she continued to pat out a small ball with her fingers. 

Sensing the change in mood, Shara blew out a huff of hot air, eyes drawn to the ball in the Bird animatronics hands. "what's that you got there anyway?". 

 The bot seemed a Little taken aback that she'd taken interest. Eyes flickering towards her before returning back to her hands. 

 "Pizza" she answered shortly, grumbling in protest as the night guards hefted herself up onto the workbench. Settling herself onto the counter before leaning over to get a better look. In the poor light, it resembled little more than a big white blob, though the animatronics pinpricks of light gave the dough a warmer sheen. It was lumpy, and looked densely packed, as though the yeast hadn't had the chance to form gluten. 

 "hey, Chica?" Shara said, brows knitted together as she eyed the dough.

 "what?" Chica sighed, rolling her eyes as she mentally reconsidered not ripping the woman's head off right then and there. 

"you did proof the dough, right?" 

Silence. Well, not quite, there was the sound of the bird freezing, before angrily groaning as she slid the mess into the bin beside her. Then yipping as the night guard threw herself across the counter to seize it before it landed. Yanking it out of the air before pushing herself up again, grimacing at the flour that now completely coated the front of her uniform. 

 Plopping the dough back down onto the now considerably cleaner surface, she made a half-hearted attempt at dusting herself off. "no need for wasting it, just proof it now and just don't work it as much later" she instructed, making a miserable face as she plopped her chin into her hand. Arm resting on her knee. "Ugh, now I gotta do the laundry a day early" she complained, watching the bot do as she had been instructed. The noise of her covering the dough's container with what looked like clingfilm and plopping it into the weirdest looking oven she'd ever seen being the only sound to focus on. It was almost calm, relaxing, if Shara wasn't so tense, ready to make a break for it at a moment's notice. 

"Hey, Chica? What was the guard before me like?" 

 The robot froze almost instantly. Demeanor shifting into something... Uncomfortable, as though she had a loose wire in that big bulky body of hers. She was sure to keep her back turned to the guard, favoring an egg to the back than looking the small girl in the eye. Somehow even with her back turned she could see the faraway look on the guards face l, tone unusually muted. 

 Despite herself, she forced a cheery voice from her audio. "Oh, that--that guy? He uh, lasted a long time actually, 'till Foxy got to him". 

This is when she finally spun around, taking in the odd look of surprise on the guards face. Maybe she hadn't expected that? Or was it more that the fox had been the one to do it? Seeing as they were so friendly with one another now. 

 "oh" she said, nodding to herself, before sliding down from the counter. Walking towards the exit quietly, no bounce, no noise, just a simple action that didn't look right being performed by the hurricane-girl. 

"Thanks" she murmured, before continuing a little louder, "for answering me, I mean, I half expected ya to give me the cold shoulder. Before exiting the kitchen, closing the door gently as she went. 

... Well. That was... Something,though Chica wasn't sure what. She'd never have expected the guard to have such a somber side to her. She just looked so uncharacteristically reserved in that moment, it gave the bot chills, to see her acting like that. She had a thought, only for a moment, that smiling suited her much better. 

Without any warning, the serenity of the kitchen was disrupted with a heart-stopping 'bang!'. The bunny animatronic practically knocking the door off of its hinges as he looked around wildly, panting and muttering madly under his breath before settling on Chica. 

"Did she run in here?!" he demanded, tapping his foot impatiently. Still swiveling his optics around the dimly lit room as if checking enough time would make the guard suddenly reveal herself. 

Chica thought for a moment. Then shrugged, turning her attention back to her cooking, assembling the ingredients for the toppings. She heard the bunny let out an anguished snarl before heavy footsteps clanked away. The light still spilling into the room alerting Chica her the fact he'd left the door swinging unchecked on its hinges. 

Hmm. She'd get that guard another night. 

 


	19. Lazy Day

 It wasn't often Shara took the time to unwind. Well, not in public anyway, and not really unwinding, not like this. 

 It was a partially cloudy day. Fluffy cotton white clouds that dotted themselves here and there through the sky. Though Shara preferred to stay in the shade. Not that she didn't like the sun, but she didn't like the sun. At least. Not how most people enjoyed it. 

No, she enjoyed soaking up the sun another way. The sun that pressed through the leaves of trees. That glistening, ray beam of light, soft on her eyes so used to the night, soft tingling of gold that she didn't have to focus on. That she could allow to become soft, like glistening beads dancing around her head as she half dozed on the public park bench shed claimed as her own. By lying all over it. 

 The sun almost made jewelry out of everything below. The pond became a shimmering mirror of sapphire, the mess of mossy rocks at its banks turning into glistening black onyx. 

 The sheets of deep green grasses and soft mosses was a blanket of jade, the wind blowing across it making the glossy sheen it adorned visible to the eye. Though none of that held a candle to her view, sat bathing under the light of a tree of shimmering emerald. The leaves dancing tantalizingly in the soft breeze, the soft rustling so soothing. It was all she could hear, for once. The world, like this, felt so still. A serenity that seldom presented itself in this world of noise. 

 "Not often you leave the house for _fun_ , what's the occasion?" a raspy voice interrupted the quiet, and Shara groaned. Reluctantly rolling her head to face the figure sat beside her. Comically tiny compared to her, though with limbs just as long as her own, despite its small stature. 

"Y'know your good moods almost creepier than your--less good moods" she lazily responded. Keeping her head low. She realized, when she was somewhat calm at least, that her... Experiences were a heck of a lot different than that of most. After being caught one-too many times talking to thin air, she'd learned to keep such conversations discreet.  

 As much as she pretended otherwise, it was pretty embarrassing to be caught during her little episodes. Heck, she was still pretty upset over slipping up in front of the animatronics--twice! Though another part of her was considerably less concerned, it was a constant battle of logic and what was sitting right before her. Knowing that what she saw wasn't 'real', but knowing it was real to her. It was all a big confusing mess of a variety of things. A mess that she couldn't ever turn off, or take respite from. 

 With that thought, she sent an unintentional glare at the monster sat docile beside her. It didn't seem very bothered. 

 "would you prefer I remain hostile?" it asked, almost playfully. No real threat in its voice, but it still sent a chill down the young woman's spine. No, she wouldn't. At all, and she vigorously shook her head. Earning a light hearted chuckle from the creature beside her, "I figured as much". 

 A few more moments of silence passed, before Shara spoke up again.

"Hey, I have a question" 

"Oh? I may have an answer" 

"Don't you get saucy with me you glorified toothpick" 

 It snickered at that. Then nudged her, prompting her to continue, feeling slightly intrigued as to what she could possibly wish to ask. It wasn't all that often they ever conversed so calmly. 

 "Do you like, have a name? It gets kinda old calling you a matchstick-asshole all the time, takes the fun out of calling you names" 

 Another pause,and Shara tilted her head, eyes glancing towards the creature. Who seemed pensive, deep in thought, though it was hard to tell. Seeing as it's face didn't really express much, reading it was more a natter of instinct. About how it felt, not by what it looked like. 

 "I've had several" it admitted. A hint of reluctance in its voice. 

Shara hummed, though didn't sound particularly interested. "Ooo, that means ya have more to pick from--you do that".

 "...Bomma, that seems fitting" it mumbled after a few minutes of consideration. The guard chuckled. "Bomma huh? I should've known you'd pick somethin' weird". 

 "And Shara is a common name, hmm?" Bomma retorted. Voice crackling oddly, like static. It didn't sound angry though. The guard nodded, folding her arms and sinking into the bench. The hard wood digging uncomfortably into her bony spine. 

 "Still, I don't like it, doesn't suit ya, pick something else" 

 The creature scoffed. "It is _my_ name we're talking about, right? Am I not entitled to choose myself?" it asserted, whilst the guard simply waved a hand in dismissal. It huffed, shoulders sagging in defeat. Ah well, it's not really like it cared too much. It would play the woman's game, it had little reason not to. 

"... Ariona?"

"Too girly, you don't strike me as very feminine--another one" 

 The creature's hand twitched. Feeling more frustrated than it probably should, suddenly the girls attitude was becoming less endearing by the second. It had a feeling, no, it knew, she was just enjoying playing with it. Which she was, having the upper hand, even in just a metaphorical sense, felt good. Especially over such a little shit that seemed to pride itself on antagonizing her daily life at any given opportunity. 

 "Ankur then?" 

 Shara made an odd noise of approval at the back of her throat. Halfway between a grunt and a hum. A small smirk gracing her lips, that didn't quite reach her eyes. 

 God, she was so tired. 

 "Hey--hey, guess what" 

"what?"

 "you're a fucknugget, just thought you'd wanna know". 

 Ankur sighed. Rolling its nonexistent eyes at the woman, who seemed awfully subdued. Glancing over at her, it took notice of the unhealthy, deep bags under her eyes. The tired way she held herself, even at rest.

"Why thank you". 

_______

The two had both enjoyed falling back into the quiet. Sitting in companionable silence for a while, before Ankur seemed to... Melt away. Fading into nothingness whilst Shara had shut her eyes against the world. Only to open them again, to find the strange creature gone. Though, in its place, another, less welcome figure had taken residence. Which was a statement all by itself, pretty high achievement. Staring at her intently, the unwarranted attention sending shivers of discomfort down her spine. 

 What the fuck was that dude doing? Sitting there next to a stranger and just eyeballing them wasn't a normal thing to do. She knew normal and that wasn't it. Was he like, planning on mugging her or something? Because she really needed to know and now would be a really good time to know if she'd need to kick someone in the family jewels and run away screaming. 

 "y'know, usually, staring is considered a rude thing to do--so uh, can you not... Do that?" she tried. Being polite was good, right? It usually made people go away, honestly, it wasn't the more entertaining option. Only, entertainment came at the price of having to put actual effort into the whole interaction. 

 The man didn't budge. Or respond, 9r anything. Just continued to sit, and stare, an intense look of concentration on his face. Bright blue eyes squeezed into judgmental slits. 

"or do, not like it's making me _uncomfortable_ or that I just explicitly asked you to not do it or anything"

 Still nothing. Maybe she should just sock him in the schnoz now and be done with it. He didn't look particularly intimidating, donned in fairly normal looking clothing. If a little messy, gray shirt poking out through a thick, purple jacket. Denim jeans and sneakers completing the look, though his mousy blond hair was swept back neatly. Gelled back in one of those rich-kid kind of styles so thickly, that if she'd have stuck a stick into it, it'd probably break before she could have pulled it out again. 

 She snickered at the thought. Like a helmet made out of hair. Suddenly, she had the urge to throw rocks at his head, to see if they actually bounced off. She restrained herself though. Barely. 

"I'm guessing you didn't get my super subtle hint; fuck off" 

 Finally, at this, the man seemed to snap out of some sort of trance. Eyes blinking rapidly, and he shifted backwards, as if recoiling. Only, a sheepish looking smile spread across his mouth, and he didn't make any further indication of moving away. Great. 

 "O-oh shit--yeah, sorry. I uh, it's just you looked familiar" he stammered, fiddling with the zip of his coat. "I was just try'n'a figure out why" he finished lamely, looking just as uncomfortable as Shara herself felt. 

 Familiar huh? That was weird, she was at least ninety-seven percent sure she'd never seen this guy before, and it was pretty unlikely he'd spotted her just out and about. Leaving the comfort of home was a rarity, at least, not this far from home at least. The only times she really left on a regular basis were for groceries and work, and this guy looked a little bit too... Old, to be playing around with fuzzy singing animal robots. 

 So, she came to the conclusion that this guy was either a deranged stalker and she should probably call the police. That, or this was a case of mistaken identity. 

 "You're the new night guard for Freddy's right?" 

Ah. Well. That blew that theory outta the water. Creepy stalker man it is! He must have noticed the less than comforted look she was shooting him, as he scrambled to explain himself. Looking a little panicked as he waved his hands in front of himself, in a frantic gesture of denial at the thoughts he could probably see in Shara's eyes. The thoughts that warranted using pepper spray into his eyeballs. 

 "M-my buddy, he works there! I swear I'm not a creep I just, I just got curios is all, from what he says, you're a real anomaly in that grease trap" he nervously chuckled. Though Shara still felt very wary, and it must have showed, for he continued. Eyes glancing to and from her, shoulders drawn up around his ears, it didn't suit him. At all, and it looked like this act wasn't something he was used to either. Clearly this meeting wasn't going at all how he expected it to. "Yeah, I don't hang out there much, _used_ to as a kid, but those robots are like, insanely creepy--especially after Mikey told me the whole thing about them supposedly coming to life 'n' shit at night". 

 Huh, guess the rumors were pretty well known huh? She wondered how that thing got out in the first place, and how it became so reputable instead of people just writing it off as a hoax. Or some night shift folk's crazy delusions. 

 "I'm Dennis, by the by, hey--is it true they actually chase you and stuff? Mikey told me you guys always leave the place ransacked" Dennis asked, for some reason looking a little more confident in himself as he did so. The guard considered the question for a moment. Yes, it was true, but would she be alright admitting that? She had a pretty strong inkling that confirming that kinda stuff would give the restaurant bad publicity, ergo, get her ass fired. Unsure, she gave a non-committal shrug, and Dennis made a frustrated huffing sound through his nose. Mouth twitching into a frown. "I guess that free roaming mode thing can make things pretty creepy huh?" he tried, outright ignoring the visibly dwindling patience of the woman beside him. Good god wouldn't this asshole shut up? What about her was screaming 'hey, keep bothering me, I'm clearly enjoying this'? Cuz apparently that's what was written across her forehead. 

She just wanted a day to herself to mope and be miserable. Was that too much to ask? 

 "My buddy used to love that broken one--what was his name again?" 

 "Foxy" Shara supplied, regretting it immediately at the hopeful look blooming across the guys face. When in actuality, she just felt a little miffed that the guy didn't know. Sure, she couldn't expect everyone to know the Fox animatronic, but something about this guy really pissed her off, and as if to add insult to injury, he didn't even know Foxy's name. It wasn't that damn hard. Why did this bug her so much? 

 She quickly determined it was just Dennis himself. She had a feeling he could piss her off just by breathing the wrong way. 

 He shuddered, eyes going glassy for a moment as a memory took hold of him. Shaking his head roughly before he spoke, "Man, that ugly-ass bear, he was like the _worst_ , eyes just followed me wherever I  went"

 Shara bristled at that, though offered no verbal objection. For all of three seconds. 

 "hell, even my little sis's pretty spooked by him, guess he's not a very popular character, if even the kids don't like em" 

 Then she snapped. 

 "For your information buddy-pal-friend. Freddy is an awesome robot--he always looks after the kids a-and he always tries to catch my balloons so the restaurant doesn't get messy!" she harshly berated. Crossing her arms across her chest in a childish gesture, but the icy look in her eyes was anything but. A frosty, dark aura seeming to freeze the pleasantly warm summer day breeze, and Dennis visibly recoiled, shrinking back and shuffling in retreat across the bench. Regret very evident on his face. Shoving the question about what the fuck balloons had anything to do with the conversation to the back of his mind. 

He was very quick to stutter an apology. 

 This continued for a little while longer. Tentatively at first, but eventually growing in confidence once more. A very one-sided conversation, with Dennis happily filling the silence. It seemed he liked the sound of his voice a lot, though he did offer Shara many opportunities to speak her mind, and she obliged once or twice. Though mostly, the conversation relied solely on him. 

 She still didn't like him though. 

 After what felt like a short eternity, Dennis stood. Roughly patting Shara on the shoulder as he did so, making a displeased face as his back popped in protest. Earning a snicker from the guard sat sprawled across the bench. 

 After a quick goodbye, he made his exit. Making one last attempt at appealing to her funny side by declaring he was going to get some grub before his shift at what's-it-called started. 

 "Only not Freddy's-- pizza there is like soggy cardboard, am I right?", before sauntering happily away, and Shara offered a lazy wave in his direction, until his retreating form was well out of sight. Then she allowed her hand to drop, plopping down tiredly by her side, the friendly smile sliding off her face, in favor of something more irritable in nature. Eyes closing shut against the day, bringing her feet up and curling into the hard wood as, small as her body would allow. She wondered, what had grinded her gears so much about that guy, before shrugging it off. The effort far far too much of a chore on such a pleasant day like this. 

 Just as her mind drifted into a doze. Anybody nearby with listening ears, would have heard her mutter--in a voice almost hidden by the sound of softly rustling leaves, "I like their pizza".

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, yes, kinda uneventful. Though I've left quite a few little hints there regarding some important future events, let's see if any of you pick up on them, hmmm~?  
>  So, we've met a new guy, poor Dennis just couldn't seem to say the right thing there huh? Maybe next time (if there IS a next time, of course) things will go a little better.  
>  Well, I hope you've enjoyed this chapter, and thank you for reading! If you've enjoyed this chapter, why not comment your thoughts, or even leave a kudos?  
>  Till next time~


	20. A Pirate Who's Never Seen The Sea

So, the night began like anyone would have guessed--wait. No. That's not what happened at all. In fact, the night began an entire hour earlier than expected. With Shara. Yelling very loudly to a bunch of death-kill animatronics, whilst the evening cleaning staff tried to keep far, far away from the nightguards shenanigans. Wondering why exactly she felt the need to scream compliments and general encouragement to the bear in particular for no apparent reasoning. As well as grumbling to themselves as they tried their damnedest to avoid her 'practical jokes', which she'd scattered across the building for them like rat droppings. Little unpleasant surprises that oftentimes extended their cleaning time by an hour or three. 

 They'd learned very quickly to start coming in early too. And were quickly coming to the epiphany that maybe, just maybe, they should all petition to get the woman burnt at the stake. Taking 'fired' to a whole new level. 

 Meanwhile, the animatronics themselves (who were bearing the brunt of the eccentric girls sudden spur-of-the-moment positivity), were quite at a loss on exactly how to react. Settling on simply standing and staring with slack-jawed mouths. With Freddy at the center point of her attentions just squirming uncomfortably as she showered him with goodwill. 

 "--And anyone that says otherwise can eat my ass! You is a strong independent-kinda floofy bear and those kiddos worship the all of you" Shara declared hotly. Prodding an insistent finger right to the startled bots muzzle, continuing her ranting as she spun on her heel without warning. Stomping off towards the back office, while murmuring something about "a prick ruining her happy park time". 

 The bear didn't move from his initial position, even when the last jet black lock of hair flickered out of sight out the doorway. Remaining in a tight, stiff shouldered recoil, staring at the empty space in front of him. Both Bonnie and Chica however, had their gazes focused on him, and shrugged helplessly when the bears bright blue eyes spun to rest at them. As if asking if that had actually just happened, had they saw that too, and what the hell had brought that on? 

 It wasn't until the clock struck twelve and the night officially begun, that the group discovered that, that, had not been the end of it. As the guard ducked under a swinging pair of paws, frowning angrily, but her attention seemed to be directed elsewhere. Which only seemed to enrage the three robots even more, as they frantically tried to make a grab for her distracted form. And failing. 

 "I mean-- he doesn't even _know_ Freddy, what even gives him the right to talk shit huh?" she huffed, steadying the hat on her head nonchalantly, after a paw whizzed dangerously close to her skull. Dislodging it from her head, and sending a gust of air that made the woman's hair flutter gently around her face. She didn't seem to take much notice. 

 "He's like a robo-manager--for _robots_!" she spluttered exasperatedly, waving in his general direction. Vaulting over the rabbits arm, earning a ferocious snarl from said rabbit. Chica tried to take advantage of the guards vulnerability mid-air, only Shara simply caught onto her forearms as if plucking a fly out of the air. Swinging her body upwards, and over, landing gracefully after somersaulting right over the giant chickens bulking body. Her feet barely even made a sound as she landed, and she was quickly straightening herself out again, with almost catlike lithe. "And he always does that weird facepalm when he gets angry and--"

 She paused from listing all of the bears good points off her fingers. Eyebrows drawn in a furious yet frustrated arch on her forehead. Eyes narrowed into slits, "his nose **_BOOPS_**! I mean _COME **ON**_! Here look!" she said it almost as if that was a deciding factor, and her face lit up considerably as she lurched forwards. Willingly putting herself directly in front of the bear, which startled him enough that she was able to extend her arm. Stepping up, using his protruding knee joint like a ladder, and looked him dead in the eye as she poked him right on the nose. 

 A high pitched honk silenced the hallway. Except from a static-y snort, that came from Foxy. Quickly followed by the sound of muffled laughter and creaking joints, as the pirate fox tried desperately to stifle his snickering by clasping his broken jaw shut. 

 Nobody else moved. Which was surprising since Shara was also staying put, and all three animatronics where within arms reach. But Chica and Bonnie remained right where they stood, eyeballing the weird standoff like atmosphere quickly building between the nightguard and Freddy. His big blue eyes had gone hard, icy, boring into the woman as if daring her to comment on it. His expression greatly differed from her own. Hers was the definition of glee, eyes and smile wide as if Christmas, her birthday and the coming of Christ had all come at once. 

 She let loose a shaky breath. "Your nose" she paused, taking in another gulp of air, "it honks.". 

 The bear said nothing, but his eyelids narrowed over his optics. Teeth clenching and grinding as the guard pressed her face against his. Practically vibrating with excitement. If her eyes could've become starry, there would've been a galaxy in each eyeball. "Freddy, it. _Honks_."

 The bear growled, and this was when Shara noticed his face becoming steadily redder, blushing to the tips of his ears. She would have whistled at the sight if she wasn't so preoccupied with the much more important matter of honky noses. How did robots even blush? They had no blood. 

 "I know" he ground out, visibly seething as he pointedly ignored the broiling shame. 

 "That. Is. Amazing" the guard whispered, clapping both hands to his ears and yanking his head forwards, as if physically pressing her eyes into his would make him realize the gravity of how fucking amazing this was. Then her smile faltered, "w-wait, you _knew_?" she choked. Releasing her grip and slowly climbing down from him, to stand, staring up at him with a betrayed expression on her face.

"And you didn't tell me?".

Freddy scoffed. Shara nodded relentingly in agreement. 

 Ehh well he had a point there. Instead, Shara rounded on the others, looking very offended. "Okay but why didn't you two say anything?" she whined, and Chica actually found herself feeling guilty for a few seconds without thinking. But she was excused from responding as the guard whirled on Foxy, who'd blinked and suddenly was being confronted by a very pissed-off looking pair of eyes centimeters from his. 

"I didn't know meself lass" he surrendered easily, raising both hook and hand as the guard regarded him with a very unamused look. Raising a skeptical eyebrow, before stalking off down the hall. Bumping shoulders with Bonnie, who jolted out of her way. The bots left behind simply stared after her in awe, her grumbling carrying through the hall to their ears as she disappeared behind the far corner. 

 "Can't believe nobody freaking told me" 

 

 A few hours later, having grown bored of watching the other bots search around for the night guard, and Freddy sending weird, passive aggressive comments  his way like a broken record. Foxy wearily retreated to his cove. It wasn't that he disliked the other's company, no, far from it, but really, at his core. He was quite the loner--a lone wolf, so to speak. Only not a wolf, because he was a fox. 

 The point was, he needed time, time alone. To recharge, but not literally speaking. W-well he did need to recharge but mentally as well. Even if he hadn't done much than sit back and observe, really, simply being around others was just somehow so draining that it made actually socializing feel more like a chore. Mostly when he was forced back into the ring when he hadn't yet rested enough. But that was rarely the case nowadays, not since he'd... Broken down. 

 No. It seemed most of these days now, he got more alone time than was probably good for him. 

 Pulling back the curtain with his hook, rubbing a tired paw against his muzzle. He got quite the shock to find he wasn't quite as alone as he'd expected to be in his little corner. Mostly because he wasn't alone at all. 

 "'Ey Lass, what brings ye here durin' night hours? If ye get spotted here you'll get cornered" he scolded, but there was no heat to it. He crossed the room in a few long strides, moving with a fluidity that gave away the fact he wasn't a living, breathing creature. If the rest of his appearance didn't give that away anyway. No creature alive could move that smoothly, he supposed that's what having machinery in place of muscle did to ones way of getting about. There was a slight grinding sound as he lowered himself down to plop beside the guard, who sat with her feet sprawled out across the floor. Leaning with her back against the wall. She looked oddly pale in the gloom, and the fox's eyes widened a fraction as he took in her suddenly haggard appearance. She was picking at the skin at her nails, and the flesh there was an angry red, inflamed and ready to bleed. 

 She looked so small, being so close. So... Human, and breakable looking. But she seemed to inflate again once she noticed the fox's gaze on her, like she was breathing life back into herself. If he hadn't gotten a good look at her worn face, and how it just--went away, he wouldn't have thought the girl beside him the same person. Really. He couldn't deny the shift made him feel a little unnerved. That sudden energy was disarming to say the least. Her weariness even more so. 

 "Eh if that happens I'll just have to fix em up in the morning before I go" the woman grinned up at the fox. Giving him a sidelong glance, making a half-assed saluting gesture, before letting her arm fall limply into her lap. 

 Foxy made a concerned face, but the intrigued humming noise he made contradicted any worry he might have been trying to portray. "Fix em? 'N' what exactly are ye suggestin' might ye do?". 

Her reply was instant, blunt, and to the point. "Nothing you could prove in a court of law" she said without hesitation, voice monotone. The pirate fox wasn't entirely sure if she was joking. 

 "... 'S long as there's no lastin' harm done" he conceded. Nodding curtly, and rolling his shoulders in an attempt to force the rusting joint unstuck. All he succeeded in was making an ear splitting screeching sound, and was promptly rewarded by a high pitched yelp of complaint from Shara. 

"Dude that was right next to my ear" 

 No answer. Still wearing a grimace, Shara let her eyes wander to her right again. Hand coming up to rub at her ear, though finding no satisfaction in doing so, the hurting part being out of reach from the palm kneading at her ear. 

 What she saw was for the most part what she expected. There, in all his glory was, in fact, Foxy. Of course. But he looked oddly...troubled, as though reflecting on something he found more than a little concerning to think about. The thought was enough to spark panic in the young woman. She didn't know what to do in these kinda situations--heck why would she? More to the point how would she? It wasn't like she surrounded herself with people to practice dealing with em. Well sure, she was dealing with a giant robot fox who entertained kids for a living and not your run of the mill Joe human-friend here but--the point is she had no fucking idea how to make the frown go upside down. Or if that was what she should be trying to do in the first place. 

 So, she stopped thinking about it so hard. There wasn't really much point in trying to think a thought that she couldn't think with how she was... Probably? 

 "Uhh, the others don't come back here a lot huh?" she blurted out. Clumsily, and louder than she'd intended. Wow, she was so smooth. She could put butter to shame. Like jeez she was smoother than a water slide doused in goose fat and-and like something else greasy. Like oil! Yeah like oil. Totally like oil. Cuz that's how smooth she was. 

 The fox's ears twitched slightly. Making a faint noise, like a camera shutter. "Suppose not" he nodded in agreement, but something about the movement felt sad. Forlorn almost, like watching someone who'd lost all sense of hope long ago kind of sad. Which was sad. 

He didn't say anything else. 

... Shit. What the shit was she supposed to say now? 

 "did you sing like the others? 

 The fox made a soft noise, that could have been a chuckle. Something made a painful sounding creak as he shifted. Bulky casing making it hard for his body to sit comfortably. "What are ye gettin' at there?" 

"With the kids I mean-- did you sing and stuff like the others?" 

 "Nah lass, no what i did, i told stories, adventures of me tales at sea" 

Shara joked on her own breath, "You've been to the sea?" she asked incredulously. Trying to picture the giant mascot strolling casual down the sandy shore of some imaginary beach. Sinking into the sand as he tried to shake it from his joints, steering clear from the water while passers by just stared on in shocked awe. 

 Foxy snorted at that. "Not in person no, but in spirit. I've got all the data I can get on it" he said by way of explanation. Giving the young guard that eyebrow-raised, wig-waggling look that just screamed 'what company in their right minds would let an animatronic fox pirate loose out to frolic on a beach?'. 

 She narrowed her eyes back, 'and what restaurant in their right mind would continue opening themselves to the public after the first few murders with no sign of stopping?'. 

 The fox nodded, though neither of them had actually spoken a word. Breaking eye contact to sit back against his place at the wall. Leaving Shara beaming victoriously at his withdrawing form. 

 After a few minutes of silent contemplation, she spoke up again. "It's okay, I've never seen it either". 

 "Seen what?" Foxy frowned. 

 "The sea, Foxy, I haven't seen it either" she repeated, albeit condescendingly. Like poking fun at an old person losing their hearing. Y'know, cuz people do that, and it totally isn't a douchebag thing to do. 

 Now if nothing else, that tidbit of information certainly seemed to catch the lethargic bots attention. He didn't show it, or at least, seemed to be trying to, but there was just no hiding that unintentional twitch of his ears. Which turned slightly in Shara's direction. His face, however, remained light heartedly easy, eyes glazed over with a hazy lull that might have just been because they were made of glass. 

 "So... Stories huh?" Shara mumbled to herself. Then, after evidently coming to a decision of some sort, she sharply patted the fox's hooked hand. Avoiding the pointy part of course. "You're totally telling me a story sometime, this is a thing and it is going to happen". 

 Foxy let out a barking laugh. But quieted down almost as soon as he started, stifling his uproarious laughter to what could've been a coughing fit had he had lungs. "If ye say so" he conceded, a highly amused growl to his voice. 

 "That's another thing, like you have a weird habit of talking all pirate-ish and then--not, pirate-ish, is it like some sort of act and you forget sometimes?" 

Foxy gasped, both eyes going wide--seriously. His patched eye just flickered on like a light bulb. He made a stuttering sound as he drew himself to his full height, a hand flying to his chest in mock offense...she hoped. "Well by me beard lass--

"--you don't have a beard--" Shara interrupted. 

 The fox ignored her, but the smirk on his muzzle was beginning to creep into view. "--Never been so insulted in me life, my, pirating is me blood lass" he continued as if she hadn't spoken. 

 Shara butted in again, this time pointing out, "You don't have that either". 

 The fox heaved a heavy, static filled, overly dramatic sigh. Lamenting, "But aye, I suppose at times it does get a tad tedious to keep up with, and my dialogue generation be broken", before he broke into a huge ass grin at the look on the guards face. 

 "It shows" 

"Maybe so, but I do wear it so well" 

"Sassy fox" 

"I prefer the term 'classy', Missy" 

" _Classy_ sassy fox" Shara corrected, but had to hurriedly stifle her own giggles as the sound of heavy, clanking footsteps stomped by. 

 They left, after lurking for a few long minutes. Though the night guard had taken no chances at being caught unawares. 

"... Foxy? Pssst!" 

 The fox grunted in acknowledgment. 

 "I'm stuck" 

"oh, are ye, that sure is interesting" 

"Foxy, please" 

"Of all the places to hide back here, and you decide to cram yourself in the treasure chest?" 

"Yes." Shara confirmed. 

 The fox sighed, "and yer plan if someone'd looked inside?" 

There was a pause as the guard thought. "Bonk em in the schnoz and run like fuck". 

... 

"Fox, help me~" Shara pleaded, her voice drawing out in a long whine, and the bot heard what sounded like clapping when he complied. Pushing himself up using the wall. Something in his left knee gave, and he heard a worrying crunching noise as his leg gave out under him.

"You okay there big guy?" Shara asked, slowly. As if she wasn't sure if voicing her concern was a good idea. 

 "Aye" the Fox nodded, "I'll be right with ye, hold on". 

 Suddenly, the pitch black around her lit up considerably. Although in reality it wasn't actually that much brighter, as the lid opened, and Shara looked up to find the Fox grinning smugly down at her. 

 Or rather, more accurately, at her ass. Since she was upside down. She hadn't thought she'd had that much time to throw herself in there. 

 "Nice hiding place ye got he--" 

"Not a word fox. Not, a word." the guard warned. Struggling to maneuver herself onto her stomach in the tight space. Ending up arching her spine backwards at an awkward angle in order to push herself out. Taking the bots hand, well, grabbing it rather, using it to haul herself up and out. 

"you're welcome" 

"Such a chivalrous fox" 

Foxy chuckled at that, "I try me best". 

 He watched the guard stretch her limbs out with a grimace on her face. Face contorting into a mix of displeasure and relief as she twisted her neck into worrying positions, but other than a nasty series of clicks. Nothing else showed in her face or otherwise to warrant much more than mild concern. Once the small human had settled herself down once more, he decided to join her again. He moved more more smoothly than she did, even with so much of him broken or damn close enough to it. But she was allowed an incredible range of movement compared to him, it was fascinating to watch her able to curl up like she did, making herself as small as a human her size could be. 

 He sighed heavily at that. What he wouldn't do to have that kind of dexterity. 

 "Hey, psst, fox--don't you ignore me" Shara's voice suddenly cut in. Shit, he hadn't been paying attention had he? What had she just said? Gah, dammit, he couldn't remember. Pretty impressive feat for a guy with a literal machines memory. 

 Caught off guard a little, he bowed his head a little, "uh, aye, sorry lass" he apologized, earning a huff of air from the small human beside him. "What was that you were sayin'?". 

 Again, the guard scoffed, not quite in offense, but rather in disbelief. "Unbelievable, screw the chivalry--you're damn rude" she scolded hotly, wagging an irritated finger at his paws raised in surrender. "I was asking, thank you very much, why you like--y'know. Decided not to kill me, 'n' stuff?". 

 Ah. Of course. Loaded questions, naturally, couldn't just... Not think about it. Could she? 

 The matter wasn't that he didn't know the answer. The question was the subject of much pondering on his part, not that he didn't have the time for it. Nah, he knew it, he knew it very well. 

 This guard, this human. It was simple, what made her different, was that she was different. She, she played, toyed with the others. Breathed life into them even. How many years gad they--they gone along with this routine of killing and mourning lost time? He let her live, disobeyed the whispers, because she in turn helped them to live. Nothing noble, as he had wished. No, nothing as honorable as putting his foot down to save an innocent youth. Not some spiel of 'she has too much to live for' even if it was probably true. 

 His motives were selfish.

 And he knew it. 

 He felt his open jaw twitch open a little wider, but no audio came out. It closed again, and honestly, his mouth felt dry suddenly. Which was stupid, because it had never been wet, or could it feel dry in the first place. 

 "I was never too close with the others" he lied. Golden ringed eyes shifting in the gloom, casting an eerie yellow glow across his worn body. "Suppose I just fancied a change 'o' pace. Didn't see the point in followin' on with the whole business anymore". 

 The guard didn't seem to notice, instead, she nodded. Visually digesting the information, seeming satisfied. "I guess that makes sense, kinda? I mean there's still a lot I don't really get but, I think I'll save those questions for when we're all buddy-buddy" she began slowly, nodding more confidently when she finished. But something in here eyes betrayed her words, uncertainty ran deep in those dark eyes of hers. Though Foxy wasn't sure exactly what she wasn't so sure about. 

 She seemed to... Sag a bit after that. Her eyes glazed over as she evidently sank deeper into thought. So much that he doubted she was really in the same room anymore. She was somewhere else now. Sat right beside him. 

 Then. A flicker of something white caught his eye. 

 The fox froze. First thought anticipating to find one of the other animatronics, peering inside on their hunt. Though when he glanced towards the curtains entrance, he didn't meet any familiar eyes. Or any eyes at all for that matter. Just gaping, sewage colored pits, buried in a sickly white mask. Another large, gored hole resting right underneath them, with its corners upturned in the widest grin anyone could have grinned. 

 Ah. He recognized that thing. 

 He offered no acknowledgment of its presence as it slinked through the small gap just above the floor. The red fabric looked black in the dark, only hinting at a bleeding red nearer towards the slits, where light crept in. The creature didn't move any closer, or did it attempt to gain either guard or fox's attention. Instead, it seemed to circle them in a semicircle. Pushing up against an invisible wall like a mime, leering at the small human as it paced. She remained oblivious, but seemed to instinctively tense at the new arrival. 

 Foxy remembered that monster. He'd seen it the night Freddy cornered the guard. They'd been brawling with one another, but for some reason. Only he'd witnessed the assault, having questioned Chi privately that morning. As far as she had been concerned, he had seen nothing more than a phantom.

 But he had seen it. He'd seen it ever since in fact. Stalking the young guard as she went about her business. Sometimes poking and prodding her, or winding itself around the others. It's eyes glinted menacingly in the shadows. 

If he listened carefully. He could almost swear he could hear the faint sound of laughter, and music playing somewhere in the far-off distance. 

 

That morning, the three hunters gathered back at their stage. As the ever elusive guard happily came prancing out from her hiding spot of the night. 

 "Hey guys, I'll see you ro-butts later tonight~!" she trilled, the door slamming shut behind her. Shutting out the sight of her enthusiastic victory dance from their optics, which remained trained on the door. 

 "I didn't think it was possible to hate her even more than I already do" Chica whined softly, as Freddy grimaced behind her. While both he and Bonnie nodded silently in agreement. 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the fox isn't quite as selfless as he appeared. Or isn't he? Could his caring of his friends really be considered selfish? At the end of the day, he's still on Shara's side, even if it does come with some strings attached.  
>  Anyway, thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! If you did, why not leave a comment, or even a kudos?  
>  Till next time~


	21. Foxy's Grand performance

"C'mon Bear-boy you can run faster than that!" the guard cackled. 

 Freddy's voice could be heard fuming from somewhere in the building, "You infuriating little--" 

 Shara cut him off, "Ah-ah-ah, name calling isn't what a children's idol should be promoting now is it fuzzface?". 

 The two both came flying around the corner as Shara shrieked in delight. Passing by the fox at breakneck speed, as his eyes lazily followed the two blurs for the umpteenth lap around the building. The night guard recklessly sprinting a good foot ahead of the bear.  Easily twisting, turning and ducking with the agility that came with being smaller, with a much more nimble range of movement. Suddenly, the advantage of close to unchallenged stamina seemed almost void. In face of the ever elusive guard who still didn't seem close to tiring, cheekily twirling around as she ran, for the sole purpose of taunting the bear a fair distance behind her, whilst looking him right in the eye. She was rewarded with a furious roar, as the bear clawed at her--missing by meters. She simply cackled harder, punching the air happily as she continued to keep pace without breaking a sweat. The bear continued to clank noisily behind her. 

 She'd been taunting Freddy relentlessly ever since he'd trapped her in the back room. Even more so than usual, targeting the poor bear almost exclusively with all of her worst toys in her own form of petty revenge. Strangely enough though, she'd mostly left Chica and Bonnie to themselves when possible, whereas Foxy remained completely untouched. He was happy to sit back and simply watch as she ran circles around the bear animatronic. He would be lying to say if he didn't find some form of amusement in watching the spectacle that played out nightly now. 

Besides, it was nice watching his friends enjoy themselves so much. 

  The guard shot down the corridor like a torpedo tearing through water. Feet propelling her forwards so fast that when she pushed against the ground to change direction. Foxy was worried her ankles would snap clean under the pressure. 

 The other animatronics had already been taken out of the night's chase. For what reason, Foxy had no clue, but the guard had seemed intent on hurrying in her mission to get everyone out of the way. Odd, since she usually took her fun from running the three ragged, tonight, it seemed, she wanted a change of pace. 

 Chica had been practically cemented into the floor earlier that night. She'd barely stepped off from the stage, only to find her feet stuck solid to the tiled floor. Reminiscent of the first glue trap she'd ever fallen victim to--just a fortnight ago. She was stuck, and had been stuck since, having long since given up on breaking free. She was waiting patiently for the guard to peel her free in the morning, when she went through her morning ritual of fixing the unfixable. Before leaving whatever was left to the cleaning crew, unusually considerate of the indoor hurricane. Oh how Chica's poor ears burned with her coworkers plight. She doubted the guard took any notice. 

 Now Bonnie, he'd lasted considerably longer. Though had ultimately been outlasted by Freddy. He'd somehow managed to get himself locked up in the closet. How Shara had managed to lure him in there, Foxy wasn't sure, but she had. Bonnie was still screaming from inside the small space, Freddy had given up unlocking the tricky door pretty quickly. While Foxy had praised her workmanship. Their comradie only seemed to further irk the bear. Who, whenever given the opportunity, shot icy glares in the pirates direction. Foxy didn't seem all that bothered. 

 "Another whirl around the block old chap!" Shara purred, slipping through the back office with fair ease. Freddy had to pause to safely get himself through the door, which was much less accommodating to his frame. Once safely through the first set of doors, he hesitated another second, stopping to press the big red close button behind him. Before taking off back after the night guard, a smug glint in his eye as he gave chase. He knew she would be very slippery to get a hold of still, she had a talent for evading large hands in tight spaces, but the element of surprise was in his court now. 

 The two ran another round through the dining hall. Shara going as far as to trapeze across up and over the tables, flaunting her distance on Freddy as she went. Though the bears sudden compliance didn't go amiss with her, and she prepared herself for whatever he had under that hat of his as she approached the office again. 

 "Alas, methinks it is time to unleash my super-amazing bear trap" she called. 

 Three things happened as the two finally bade it back to hone base. One, Shara instantly noticed that the opening was completely blocked. Two, the guard, in that very same moment, reached into her vest coat. Retrieving a small looking remote, with a big red button as its sole distinguishing feature, and pressed it. 

 Third, and finally. Something snapped across both the guard, and Freddy's path. Which, to the observant eye, would have revealed itself to be a long, thick strand of taught pulled twine. 

 Ah. She forgot she'd moved it there. 

 Having set off the trap just a few meters too soon, the night guard flailed to avoid it. Though in her efforts to jump over the twine, it caught just around her ankles. Sending her flying face-first into the window pane besides the door. Hard. Despite having miss fired completely, Freddy was also caught up in the trap. Legs tangling clumsily in the string, and, with all poise and sense of dignity following suit. The bear dropped like a rock, crashing to the floor in epic fashion. 

 Both parties groaned in the aftermath. Foxy winced at the sight. 

 "I'm good!" came the guards strangled cry from the wreckage. She was nowhere to be found, for all of two seconds. Foxy saw her head bob into sight on the other side of the windowless pane, the clink of broken glass crunching underfoot as she stood. 

 "Thank goodness that pane of glass was there to break my fall" she quipped, but groaned again as she shook shards of glass from her hair. 

 She waited for the Bear to do the sane, before she trilled, "Her, bear-bot, meet me in the part-ay room~!". 

 "How much sugar have you had there, lass?" 

 she paused, squaring up to the fox as if she felt as though she were being... Questioned. 

 "A lot".

 

 Foxy stared at the scene before him, in complete awe.

 "Don't. You. Say. A. Word" the bear snapped venomously. 

He was hanging by the foot from the ceiling. Cocooned, for extra measure, in a thick web of netting, that went from his shoulders, to his thigh plates. Needless to say, he was glowering, at both the fox and the guard, who both simply stared at him from underneath. Foxy, again, in awe. The guard, with pure satisfaction. 

 "I think this is my best work yet--" she sniffed proudly, before retrieving a small phone from her uniform, and snapping a picture. " _This_ is going on the wall". 

 Freddy's eyes were seething, narrowed as his teeth ground together. Absolutely livid. 

 "Aye, ye outside yeself this time short-stack" the fox concurred. Nodding pensively beside the guard, arms folded and face wearing a comical look of contemplation. Shara was still snapping shots, at increasingly odd angles, in effort to catch the pure misery of Freddy's situation, as well as complete lack of grace and immortalize it forever. On tape. 

 "Mhm" the guard hummed in agreement, sighing contentedly as she turned her attention to the fox. "Now all we need to round off the night is a totally awesome performance from this here ol' sea-dog, and we'll be right as rain" she paused, tapping a finger to her chin. "Or was it rain as right?", she shrugged, "Nah, that made no sense". 

 Foxy made a humming noise, before spluttering. "Wait--what?". 

 "Yeah, now everyone's wrangled up, you have the stage to yourself, and I can sit here without fearing for life!" Shara announced happily, before making a shoeing motion with her hands, ushering the Fox up to the stage. His protests fell on deaf ears, and he reluctantly took his place center stage. 

Shara took hers on the floor below. Materializing a bag of popcorn out of nowhere, and shushing the still struggling Freddy. Pelting him with popcorn when he continued to growl in complaint. 

 "Look, lass, are ye sure ye want--" 

"Yes.".

"But--"

"Yes."

 "Foxy! Let. Me. Down--this instant!" Freddy growled, only to earn another pelting from Shara. Who simply offered both bots a shit eating grin. Smug in the knowledge Foxy was, at least partially, on her side in this. 

 Having not been given much choice in the matter, the pirate fox took his place center stage. Proudly taking place he hadn't taken in so long, puffing his broken chest out and gathering his broken self to his full height. Wincing slightly as his jaw swung dangerously wide on its ruined hinges. The rest of him simply creaked in the silence. 

Well. If he was there anyway, he might as well put on a show. 

 The guard was having the time of her life sitting there watching the fox in his element. Spinning tales of his daring adventures out at sea, harrowing battles with sea monsters and fellow pirates alike. The fox seemed quite pleased with himself as he drank in the young woman's chortling. And he spared no expense as he dove headfirst into the role that he'd been too wrecked to play for almost a decade now. 

 "Thare I was, me old first mate and I, facing eachother on the rainy deck--sea a frothing cauldron swirlin' 'round us" he rumbled dramatically, bending low with a hook waving in the air. An expression of still raw betrayal on his face as he spun the tale of his traitorous first mate. His pirate accent had grown thicker as his story went on, and now it was a gruff growling sound, rough and dramatic. His one good eye was glinting gold in the dim light, he'd turned the life off at some point. And Freddy was sulking above in his net, flickering the torch on and off like pretend lightning. 

 "Thar was I with nothin' but me cutlass, facin' a hoard of traitorous swine--me men turning on me, me friend sneerin' down his muzzle like th' rabid dog he was". 

 Shara leant closer to the stage in her seat. Completely entranced by the tale. It would have struck Freddy odd, given her age, had he been in the mood to think of it. But she was loving it, 'oo-ing' and 'ahh-ING' in all the right places. 

 By the end of it, she was giving the fox a standing ovation. Legs numb from sitting of the floor for a whole hour. She didn't know how the kids did it, till now. Foxy was a great storyteller. His voice was special, perfect for creating pictures in the minds where there would ordinarily be nothing. 

 Damn. She'd have to get everyone out of the way more often. Definitely had to get the fox to do this again. 

 "Why thank ye, listenin' to this ol' fox prattlin' on" Foxy chuckled as he stepped carefully from the stage. Something in his knee joint gave, and stuck there, and the fox cursed as his whole body was sent careening to the side. 

 "Shit! Foxy be careful, your legs are bad enough as it is". 

 "Well I never!" Foxy gasped, voice dripping with sarcasm. Only to roll his eye when the guard sneered up at him. 

 "I'm serious Foxy, that needs repairing, you aren't gonna be able to put much weight on that anymore" Shara fretted, though she went oddly quiet as she trailed off.

 Wait, when would that be anyway? He'd been out of order for a long time, that much she'd gathered. But how much of a long time? When was his next maintenance day? 

 "Aye, aye, I'll be careful I'll be careful" The fox waved a hooked hand in dismissal. Only to turn his gaze back to the young woman who'd had to duck out of the way of his hook. That thing needed fucking filing down, it was a health hazard all in itself. His furry muzzle turned in a smirk. "So, how did ye enjoy the performance?". 

 The guards eyes went wide instantly. There was something childlike in the way she hopped on the spot in excitement. It was charming, in a sense. "It was awesome! You're a fricking great storyteller--and we're doing this again". 

 "Glad ta hear ya enjoyed it, must say I got a kick out of it meself" He snickered self assuredly. Pushing the girls had down over her eyes affectionately. 

 He seemed to freeze up a little when he'd realized what he'd done. But Shara went on oblivious to it, having been temporarily blinded. By the time she'd pried it back up over her eyes, he was smiling lazily as if nothing had happened. 

 "When are you getting fixed up anyway? Bet the kids have missed you a ton, how long as it been? Few weeks?". 

 "Try talkin' a few years lass". 

The woman's jaw dropped. "Years?" she asked, "How many years?". 

 "Thirteen" Freddy cut in, answering for him. He seemed suddenly much more docile than he had been all night. Tugging at his ear as he avoided the fox's gaze. 

 Shara, however, seemed to be preoccupied with trying to articulate her upset. Spluttering incoherent words as her brows knitted together into a scowl that looked much too old for her face. She, Foxy thought, looked as though she'd taken this tidbit of information as a personal insult. 

 Meanwhile, he fired a question of his own. 

 Or rather, he was about to. As his eyes met with the stalking creature at the guards shoulder. He noticed how she ever so slightly shifted, to cringe away from its touch. And it simply draped itself over her more insistently. It was eyeing the fox, curiously, but otherwise didn't seem to be aware that the animatronic could actually see it. 

... Never mind. It didn't matter anyway, as long as she continued to be good for the others. It didn't matter what that thing was. Unless it became a problem of course. He would swallow his curiosity and hope that she remained as effective at cheering up his family as she had been. 

 He'd hate for her not to be. It would be a shame, to let such a young life die. Should she no longer be worth the effort of resisting the children and their bloody wishes. 

 "So lass, how're you findin' workin' here anyhow?" The fox managed, when he realized he'd been standing before the girl with his maw hanging open. Well. It was open anyway, but it was still weird to stand in front of her with that wide eyed look. "The crew don't seem too pleased with ye when they come in the mornin', was worried they might be givin' you grief while this here Cap'n wasn't lookin".

"Ah, yeah, well I've become the topic of much upset in the break room apparently" She answered boredly. Though she did frown as she thought of it, yeah. She'd never been good at getting along with people. At some point she'd given up trying. It was easier being what people wanted you to be nowadays. They wanted a social outcast of her, who was she to deny them of it? 

Nobody. That's who. 

 "Aye now, that I know" Foxy chuckled as he began leading the girl away. Freddy it seemed had grown oddly quiet for now, and he'd much rather keep him that way. 

 Shara made a face, looking up to the fox, who was steering her away with a gentle paw at her back. Thankfully, he'd decided to use the non-lethal hand. Save her a scar from the back. 

 "How do you know that?". 

 "You'd be surprised at how people talk when they think nobody's listenin', hear quite a bit, bein' what we are". 

 Shara nodded understandingly at that. Half of her wanted to ask how all that worked anyway. Them being sentient and all. But she doubted she'd get a straight answer. 

 "Y'know, when I first met you all, I thought for sure I was having another psychotic episode", she paused,a scared looking expression flashing across her face for a moment. "Still not sure it's not". 

 "Aye well, I think the complaints about ye are all that's keepin' the rabbit sane". 

 She smiled proudly at that. 

 "So, psychotic episode huh? S'that what went on when ye... Scared Chica?" Foxy found himself asking before he could correct himself. 

 The girl stopped death this time. Guilt written across her face. "I didn't... Didn't hurt her, did I?". 

 Now it was his turn to feel bad. Perhaps this wasn't the best time to get into that. Much as it was eating at him to not know. 

 It wasn't often a human scared them so much anymore.

 "Aye, ye did, scared 'er more th'n anythin" he admitted. She seemed to begin caving in on herself. Hands going to search for something in her pocket, before she seemed to realize something. And she instead decided to seek comfort in rubbing rough circles in the already worn flesh around her fingertips. Which the fox caught a good look at, before they were retracted into the sleeves of her jacket. It looked like she's been rubbing them raw, and bloody. Yes. It was definitely best to ask into this another time. 

 Again, he was reminded of that one child he'd seen before at one time. Searching his internal data, he couldn't find much on the subject on the mental health of human children. But he had enough sense to know what she'd been looking for. 

 He was still upset that trinket of hers hadn't turned up. Especially since its loss had caused so much trouble. 

 "Have you ever been on the outside?" 

 "Can't say I have". 

 "It's a weird place. Being outside. There are always so many people walking around on the streets, lives you'll never know about. There's always noise out there" She said. Quietly. Though the change of subject was startlingly sudden he could help but be intrigued as to where she was taking this. 

Or why she was talking like an outsider, looking in. 

 "I like the noise there, I like noisy places see. It's... Distracting", there was a faraway look in her face, but it abruptly faded. And she glanced around the hallway, sucking in a a breath neither of them had noticed she'd been holding. "It's better being part of it". 

 Why did he suddenly feel like he'd just come out of a daze? Apparently Shara felt similar, as she suddenly shook her head vigorously. Smacking both hands to her cheeks as if waking herself up. 

 "Y'know, one day when everyone's stopped trying to kill me, I'll have to show you guys all the stuff you're missing being cooped up here". 

 Freddy, who apparently could still hear them, could be heard bellowing down the hall after her. "We're never going to be friends you crazy litt--". 

 The bear was abruptly cut short as the office door slammed shut. The broken glass crunched under the guards foot, as she tried to step over it to sit on her office chair. Foxy, who couldn't have stepped over it like that if he tried, simply walked across it. The shards grinding to grains under his massive weight. 

 This was when the alarm decided it was time to go off in their ears. And the guard groaned as she pushed herself back to her feet again. She looked tired. 

 The two shambles their way through the building after that, the fox deciding on a whimsical to see the young woman out. Through the glass of the front entrance, he could see it was still very dark out. 

 "Foxy?". 

 Her voice was uncharacteristically small, and he found himself frowning at it. He didn't like that sound from her. 

 "I promise I'll look after all of you" she promised without warning. 

 That was... Unexpected. Very unexpected. 

 "Where did that come from lass?" the fox found himself asking. Again, speaking without his permission. 

 This time, she looked up at him. Craning her neck to his height. He never thought he'd live to see the day that this little devil would look so... Innocent. 

"You're all so nice--maybe not all to me mind" she chuckled awkwardly at that, before continuing again. Completely serious. "I don't know why you all want to kill me, but I'm guessing there's a reason for it. I don't think now is the right time to ask", she hesitated, swaying gently were she stood, "So I'll just have to wait until you tell me".

 He was a bit at a loss for words at that. "All of us, eh? Think yer forgettin' somethin', a little furry, foxish somethin". 

 Surprisingly, she guard just rolled her eyes. "I'm not forgetting you sly fox, I just don't think you're completely won over by my supremely awesome charms yet". 

... Was it that obvious? Trying to shake that revelation off, he tried to force a wobbly grin. "Is that right? Then how is it that you're so relaxed about me?". There, that was a valid argument, right? Surely she was just yanking his tail. Not that he had one. 

 "Who said I was relaxed?" she scoffed, raising a mischievous brow. "People are always scary-- especially people that--", she made a choking noise, " _Talk_ to me". 

 He should've known she was damn playing with him. 

 "But I mean it. I'm going to stick around, 'till I get killed. Or fired. Whichever comes first". She stepped forwards, unlocking the door without so much as glancing at the lock. Maintaining eye contact with the bot for dramatic tension! 

"I'm not dumb enough to think the reason you change your mind is because you were just so enamored by my amazing personality. But one thing that you forgot when you asked me to be friends with the others". 

The fox was in slight awe as she pointed an accusatory finger right between his eyes. Had he had both, he would've very well gone cross eyed in order to try and keep the tip of her finger in his sight. 

"I wanna be friends with you too".

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So we get a much darker look in the fox's motives in his protection of the guard, and we learn that Shara isn't as oblivious to it as we all thought. It seems both parties, in this case, have reached a stalemate, in that both are awaiting some information on the other. But I wonder, who will gift it first?  
>  It seems Shara isn't quite as simple as she seemed. So many mysteries, surrounding both her, and the animatronics. Maybe some will be unravelling, sometimes soon. Or not. I'm being helpfully vague here, oh how fun it is to be cryptic.   
>  Welp. Thank you for reading, and I do hope your enjoyed. Maybe if you did enjoy, why not leave a comment? Or even a kudos?


	22. Learning a Little

There was something very... Weedy about the boss-man. He was a very weasely kind of man, a bully if you let him be, but a coward if you didn't. Shara fell in the latter. _Duh_ , what else would _anyone_ expect at this point? That, combined with her status of being the valuable night guard who didn't die on the first night of the job, the man was very compromising. 

 Apart from being a cheap, untrustworthy and obnoxious old man, he was actually quite alright. Definitely a person that could rub you the wrong way, you had to be a certain person sort of person to be able to deal with him. Other than that, he was okay to get along with. Amazing story teller. Just in small doses. 

 Did she mention he was a cheap bastard though? 

 She'd known this for a while, it was hard not to know. First of all, there were at least five windows that she definitely hadn't broken herself (and so neither fixed, what? She wasn't made of cash either), that hadn't been repaired yet. And they'd been like that for a while, if the state of the splintering, battered wood covering them was anything to go by. 

 There were quite a lot of things, in fact, that hinted at the mans tight grip on his own wallet. Like the broken camera leading to the kitchen, that blind spot, while not particularly important with Chica's less than graceful conduct in the kitchen, could have very well caused many of her predecessors grief when trying to locate the giant chicken lady. Especially if she was the only person so far who'd had the sense to run like fuck, which, based on everyone's reactions to her the first night, lets face it. Had never happened before. Hell she could literally just stay put in the vent system if she wanted to and that would be that. Not as fun mind, but that's how simple it was to avoid death by bear stuffing. 

Maybe Shara was just that smart. Or maybe everyone before her had just been too caught up in the walking talking robo animals coming to make them die. 

 After all. Not everyone, she suppose, was quite as used to seeing unusual things on a daily basis as her. Yeah she wasn't saying it hadn't been a surprise to find them walking around for real, but she'd been able to somewhat take it in stride. She wasn't saying she'd been quite as blasé about it as she might've appeared, but she can't say she'd been scared. She'd been freaked out a bit, but... She'd been excited. Really excited. She didn't know why exactly, sure the prospect of whole crew of new playmates had been very appealing. But it had felt thrilling, to interact with people--but without the fear of actual people being there? Whatever, she couldn't really explain her feelings at the best of times, never mind how she felt towards animate lifeless objects actually being alive. 

 Regardless of her reaction to the animatronics, right now, she could safely say that she was having the time of her life running them ragged every night. The nightly toys and traps were definitely digging a bit into her budget, some might even say stretching it a tad thin. But she couldn't find it in herself to regret it. It really was quite thrilling to live life at your limits. And she was certainly no exception. 

 But that's not what she was in for today. Not at this time of day when she should be face first in her pillow fort at home, snoozing the night away. Nah, today, she was in for something important. Something quite worth diving headfirst into the hallway of disapproving colleagues that, let's face it, she was soaking up quite happily anyway. Sending smug glances towards everyone wrinkling their noses at her, entirely too pleased with herself at successfully getting under their skin.

 Finally stopping after the long but not long at all walk to the boss-man's office. She promptly knocked a simple tune against the hard wood, stepping back politely for all of three seconds before deciding it was taking too long and rapping mercilessly against the door as loud as her knuckles would allow. 

 "Okay okay--Jesus Christ, I'm coming already!" 

 "Oo, scandalous~" the young woman trilled against the door as something clicked on the other side. Before bursting in flamboyantly, after giving the geezer just enough time to get out of the swinging doors berth. And so thoroughly succeeding in scaring the ever living shit out of him. 

 Both parties froze, staring at one another, Shara still standing with her arms splaying outward and one foot flicked out behind her. Meanwhile, the old coot was busy clutching his chest, face glowing a brilliant red as the young woman digested the high pitched yelp she'd just heard of the man emit. And he knew that she'd heard. And she knew he knew she'd heard. 

 My my, that was an interesting development. But, alas, she had much more important business than her man-lady boss's screeching. But she did, however, file away that moments happening safely away for a later date. 

 "M-miss--" the boss began in a strangled sort of growl, before he was swiftly cut off my a hand to his mouth. Said hand was quickly retracted from the sweaty mans lips, as it's owner grimaced at her mistake. Fighting the urge to visibly gag. 

 "Please, call me Shara, formalities make me feel old" She requested, surprisingly. Rather than spluttering at the younger woman's gall for physically manhandling him, he simply nodded defeatedly. 

 "Shara, I hope you understand I won't tolerate this sort of behavior, no matter how--how valuable your services are", aww, bless, he was bluffing. Cute. She could see his eyes darting back and forth between her face and the wall behind her. "I've been hearing enough from you as it is, do you know how many complaints I've received from the rest of the staff? It's been three weeks now, and I'm getting real tired of listening to it".

 Hmmm. Maybe she had been being a bit... Wild. No, she wasn't planning on remedying that behavior of course, nah, she was just acknowledging the issue. Not like she even had to deal with any of the staff face to face anyway--so long as she skidaddled before they arrived for their shifts anyway. Heh, those people were his problem. 

 Still. She had to butter this guy up a bit, so what she _actually_ said was, "I'll try to get along with them boss-man, if it helps ya sleep at night". 

 She didn't neglect to enjoy the flicker of surprise that flashed across the old man's face as he opened his mouth in what must've been an attempt to argue back. It was actually quite amusing, watching that oh so pleased, 'Damn straight' satisfaction on his old mug. If only he knew. 

She has _special_ toys for humans. They'd definitely help her make new friends. 

 Anyway. Back to business. 

 "I'm actually here to ask you something, you'll be glad to know " she continued after a moment of silence. Mr-what's-his-name seemed wearily interested at this, but there was definitely a cautious reluctance in the way he leaned forwards. The sleeves of his suit crinkling slightly, and the buttons across the girth of his big swollen belly straining to keep their hold. Shara couldn't help but find a little mirth in the fact that under his jacket, there was a large, goofy looking cartoon pinata on his vest. Googly eyes pointing in opposite directions peeking out from beneath a somewhat misplaced looking tie.

 "Oh, is that right? And here I thought you were here to waste my time" He chuckled a little nervously from behind intertwined fingers. Elbows casually resting on his desk as his shoulders struggled to relax.

 This went mostly unnoticed or uncared for by Shara, who propped herself up against the paper-littered desk with a slight huff. "Glad you're excited, I sure am", she playfully cooed, a mischievous glint in her eyes as a frame of black hair fell over face. Silky blackness casting an eerie sort of shadow across the rest of her face. 

 The man eyed her for a good long moment. Before blowing out a sigh, rolling his wrist and grumbling a short, "Go on, shoot". 

"When exactly are you getting Foxy fixed Mister-Sir Bud?" Shara asked plainly, but the old man knew the girl well enough to know that she wasn't playing as innocent as she may have otherwise appeared. Her act was coy, if anything. And he couldn't deny that talking to this woman almost made him feel as though he were gambling, at high stakes too. Like dealing with the devil, and that devil had all the right cards.

 Meanwhile though, Shara was simply patting herself on the back for just getting it out there. Straight to the point, that was good. No faffing around the issue. She had this maturity thing down.

 The reaction she got to that, however, was certainly not the reaction she'd been aiming for. In fact, she'd even call that look that flickered across his face something akin to...moderate confusion. "Foxy?" 

 She waited a beat before speaking again. Albeit with a bit more exasperation. "The fox animatronic". 

"Oh--damn, yeah, I almost forgot we still have him in the back, god" he breathed with an old worn out chuckle that spoke of reminiscing. His face lit up for a split second, as if he'd forgot the bot even existed.

Then he grimaced in a way that made even Shara feel slightly...uneasy. Like the memory was something he'd have preferred _stayed_ forgotten. "He's been out of service for donkeys years now".

"So I've heard, and I don't understand why--he was so popular, just seems stupid to have him rotting back there" the guard pried, grinning sweetly as if butter wouldn't melt. A playful tone to her perfectly reasonably sound voice.

 "You think so?" Bud asked, thick bushy brows raised.

 Shara nodded eagerly. "Yeah, he'd be a valuable asset to the team if you fix him up, _c'mooon~_ , think of the _profiiit_ ".

"I don't think we--" Bud began.

"entertainment valueee" Shara butted in temptingly. Making jazz hands and wrapping an arm around the old coots shoulder and waving out a majestic hand in a majestic fashion. Majestically.

"--Still. I don't think we have the funds to simply waste on a robot we frankly don't need, I mean the plan anyway was to get the thing scrapped after the bite and all, business is booming--"

 "And it'll boom even better with--" the young guard tried with a sound more like a whine to her voice, before being abruptly cut off.

"--with the three we _already_   _have_ " the old coot finished firmly.

 Rendered speechless, all she could do was stare the man down.

 The scruffy office chair creaked under the old mans weight as he leaned back into the seat. Wiping a worn out hand down his sweaty face, which didn't really do much other than smear the greasy looking moisture all over the rest of him. "And that Dove, is all the time i have to waste on the subject, i'm sure a smart girl like you knows the way out right?" He grumbled with an air of finality, before ducking under to fiddle with a drawer in his desk. Pulling out a very unkempt pile of files and tattered forms, shoulders slumping as he eyes his workload. Dismissing the young guard entirely.

 And that was that. For the first time in...well. ever. Shara was far too gobsmacked to respond, and dumbly nodded. Wandering out the door like a lost puppy, feeling a small amount of satisfaction that didn't feel nearly as satisfying as it should have when she left the door hanging wide open. Whereas normally, she would've been happy as beans, knowing the disgruntled man would have had to get up to close it behind her. 

Even that small victory felt...numb. hell, she'd even been to shocked at the dismissal that she hadn't even thought to try blackmail. Or anything questionably legal for that matter. Hecky heck-- she hadn't expected to be shut down with that kind of- of finality. Like it hadn't been an option. And had never been one either.

 "That damn asshole-pinata-shirt wearing bastard and me without my fucking stick" Shara cursed venomously, kicking at the freshly mopped tile beneath her feet. The scuffling sound however, was lost to the racket of children and much too animated singing. Not really feeling safe enough to face said crowd, she allowed herself a minute to sulk just down the hall from the managers office door (Which, after a moment or two, slammed shut with a disgruntled but otherwise unintelligible growl). Collecting herself as a swarm of unwanted thoughts swirled about like a sickening mess of voices. Breathing out sharply through her nose as the chaos held in her skull quietened slightly, all the while, her fingers wearing a hole in her palm until the aggravated, cracking skin there flushed an angry red. Inflamed, skin ready to break and threatening to bleed, but the action soothed her just a bit. The friction like rubbing away the noise, which, at this point, had little to nothing to do with sound.

 Wait, what had he said about a bite? _The_ bite? Huh. Sounded all official like. Pondering that tidbit of information was better than traumatizing herself with her own brain. So she welcomes the subject to latch onto.

 Huh. Now where had she heard about that before? It wasn't exactly ringing a bell. But it sounded important. But she doubted she could just waltz back in now and just ask. Not without proper interrogation equipment. Hmm. Shed have to pool her resources and dig up all the dirt on the geezer for another day. She did still have those saucy pictures of him and that young waitress lady after all. If all else failed, which she doubted they would (people tended to give in at the blowtorch stage), then maybe he'd cave under those. She doubted his wife would be very pleased.

 So absorbed in her own thoughts, she almost didn't hear the voice of thinly veiled irritation interrupting them.

 "What are you doing here? If you're going to be causing trouble, please keep it to _your_ shift, I really need this day gig and last time you messed around when you weren't wanted I had to rescue you from a hoard of small children and their parents were _not_ happy".

 Huh. She knew that voice from somewhere. Hmm. But where? The name was right on the tip of her tongue. Turning to look at its owner didn't help much, though she did recognize his face. Tired and so-past-done-with-her-shit looking. Ready for death. Mistel? Mark? Micheal? No, close but no cigar. 

 A beat of silence, and then "...Are you...just gonna stare at me or...?".

 Without even looking at the man, she fwapped a hand over the general area of his mouth. Causing him to stumble backwards a little, either from surprise or the force. No matter. It still served her purpose--of shushing the frick outta him. "Hush child, my brain is braining".

 Somehow, even though she was busy scrutinizing his crumpled uniform shirt, she could feel him rolling his eyes. And his shoulders rose and fell as he huffed. "Man, you're blocking the hallw--", he began to complain, only for Shara to swiftly cut him off as seemed to be the fashion nowadays.

 "Aha!" She cried victoriously, "Mikey! That's your name!". And no, that sudden epiphany had nothing to do with his name tag. No-sirree. Still, Mike schmidt. What a strange name.

"Its Mike...anyway, what're you doing here this early? Your shift doesn't start for like--", he glanced down quickly at his watch, "five more hours. Don't you ever sleep?".

 "You look like death standing, I don't think you have any room to judge there mister-man" Shara scoffed as she leant back. Falling back against the wall a little too far away, enough that for a heart stopping moment she felt like she was about to teeter back right into the floor. But her spine met the wall, and she allowed herself to get somewhat comfortably rested in there.

 "Heh, whatever you say, short-stack".

 Shara's face contorted for a split second before going completely blank. And she raised a single hand, clenching it and unclenching it as she looked between it, and Mike.

 "...do you wanna feel how hard i can punch?"

"Touchy subject. Noted" he conceded, and shuffled past to continue walking down the hall. Shara picnicked a little as he got further and further away, but she wasn't really sure why.

 "Waitwaitwait--okay" she blurted eventually. Though succeeded in regaining the day-guards attention. "I was talking to the boss-man".

He stopped walking. Looking puzzled. "Huh? Didn't take you for the type..." then his expression shifted. "Someone giving you a hard time?".

"Nah, just wanted to know when Foxy was getting repaired, but apparently he ain't. Like, at all."

 The mans face was incredulous. "Foxy? Why would you want him fixed?" He laughed in a I-seriously-can't-believe-what-you're-on-about way.

"I have my reasons". Which was true. But she somehow didn't think admitting she wanted to make friends with a pizzerias notoriously dangerous animatronics that weren't supposed to be sentient would go well.

"Yeah well, if you ask me, hes better off staying back there in the cove...that thing...its dangerous"

"Oh, really? And the others aren't?"

"I'm being serious"

"Well so am i. Does this have something to do with that bite thing people keep banging on about?"

"Observant one aren't you? So, tell me, how much do you even know about that?"

"I vaguely remember something about a frontal lobe and how its amazing that someone can live without one" Shara mused, tapping a thoughtful finger to her chin as she cast her mind back to her first night on the job.

"Ah, helpfully vague I see", Mike chuckled, "So what you're basically saying you know...ziltch" he said with a smug, shit eating grin. Arms folded across his chest as he bent down to Shara's height to peer into her face. Which scrunched as her eyes narrowed. Cheeks puffing out into a pout at the challenge.

"Huh, well if you know so much about it mister genius-smartypants, mind filling me in? C'mon. Don't leave me in the dark here. Go on, enlighten me" Shara grumbled as she glared at the older man without any heat. His eyes looked tired, but there was amusement in his face that suited him.

Oddly enough. That grin of his immediately faltered. "...The fox malfunctioned when a kid got too close to the stage--tore into em pretty...bad". 

 As he spoke, Shara couldn't help but notice how the normally apathetic mans demeanor...changed. shifting awkwardly from one foot to another, and seemed determined to look anywhere but at her, as if the floor was so much more interesting. And he swallowed thickly as he rubbed at his head without seeming to realize he was even doing it. His hat shifting along his skull as his fingers dug into the fabric. Just a bit too roughly.

He looked uncomfortable.

 "Anyway, those damn robots are freaky anyway" Mike decided with a shudder after a beat of silence, "Especially after that whole suit murderer thing--I swear you can still _smell_ it all with that suit rotting back there. It reeks like hell, dunno why its still being kept around".

 If Shara hadn't been otherwise distracted. She would've asked him what suit he was talking about. Since shed been in the parts and repair room plenty of times, and there was no suit there that she could recall seeing.

 Except that golden Freddy suit anyway. She supposed it smelled a bit. Maybe? She never rook the time to check.

 Shara paused. Giving Mike a funny look as she kinda did a double take. "Did you just say suit murder?" She asked, unusually quietly.

 "No, I said _murders,_  plural" Mike corrected, even with the joke, his face was grimacing.

 "That doesn't make it better" Shara whined in complaint. Mike pulled a face, and let out a sigh that made his whole body look as though it was deflating. Straightening up, but not all the way. He stood with a very undignified slump. And didn't really seem to give much of a shit about it.

 "There's a lot you don't know, huh?" He finally said after a moment of thought. And the younger guard sniffed in response, sighing along with her senior.before waving it off wearily. Shed had enough of the heavy stuff for one day. Shed have to ask him about it all another day. Maybe when Mike wasn't too busy, considering he seemed to be the only one really open to talking about--well, anything to her.

 "Well, I guess I should get back to it" Mike muttered with a resigned huff, he seemed to do that a lot. Like he was perpetually exhausted. Being bombarded by the Hurricane guard probably didn't help either. But she seemed sated. For the time being.

 He was about to walk off in fact, before he stopped himself, looking back and turning around partially. Gaining the young guards attention, as she had decided to continue bothering the tile below her with the tip of her boot.

 He wasn't sure why he asked what he did next. Maybe just out of mild curiosity, but he didn't know where it came from. So he halted. "Are you still hung up on the fox?". He felt the need to ask. So he did. And surprisingly, Shara shook her head, eyebrows raised and mouth twisting to the side. Before bouncing off the wall to step forwards, ducking forwards with her hands clasped neatly behind her back. Grinning fiendishly.

 "Why would I be? I am technically a mechanic after all".

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is late. And it's late cuz I have a problem with starting new stpries cuz I have way too many ideas. So yeah. Hey at least maybe you guys will enjoy em. The ones I publish anyway. Anyone into Dice/Devil from Cuphead? GAY FLUFF. But yeah, back to Shara.   
>  So, I did a sneaky sneak thing there. Maybe there's a reason we don't know Shara's full name~? Or maybe not. Who knows. I'm still waiting for everyone to pick up the other little hinty hints i've placed aeound here and there. Maybe someone will find em huh? Good luck finding theeeem.  
>  If you don't mind, why not leave a little commemt if you DO find those little juicy bits of information? Or even if you don't. Maybe i'll give you a clue?   
>  And please, if you enjoy this story, why not read some of my other works? Im even planning on publishing a whooole totally complately original work sometime. Yeah, I know--not a fanfiction, who knew i'd have the balls to try my hands at that huh?   
>  Welp, i'm out of stuff to say. Till next time~


	23. A Nice Surprise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How else would Shara know how to make all those toys?

 During the downtime between closing hours and the day shift sweeping through the restaurant, a person really had a lot of opportunity to reflect on things. Whilst the humans stowed away the days messes and shut down for the night, those left amongst the sidelines had plenty of time to stew in the days afterglow, and tonight was one of those nights. The closing sign had gone up a half hour ago by now, and Bonnie and the rest of the bots had retreated backstage (save for Foxy of course) to rest before the night shift began. Letting the humans go about undisturbed, getting things set and put away ready for the cleaning crew to give the building a once-over ready for service in the morning. They still had a couple of hours before the place would be emptied and locked up, and the night guard would start her shift. 

 Both Freddy and Chica had already shut themselves down to charge up a bit before the night began. But Bonnie had found himself feeling much too restless to settle down for the evening. Sulking quietly at his own little spot by the curtains of the stage, the slight twitch of his ears and the low hum of his cooling ventilation being the only sound to fill the silent room. Even though it wasn't really that loud, against the backdrop of quiet, it sounded almost deafening in contrast to the irritated bot. The buzzing of his own body swirling around in his head and ears, as he fought the urge to pace the floor to vent the excess energy. 

 Only he didn't. Settling instead to just grit 'n' grind his teeth whilst glaring heatedly at the opposing wall. 

 He'd been pretty irritable for the past few night since Foxy's little stunt, getting him jammed face first inside the vents. And had been outright refusing to so much as speak to the other bot since. Not that the fox gave a damn, but Bonnie felt some satisfaction in continuing to ignore the guy's very existence itself. And that counted for something, at least, petty, but it made him feel better. Kinda.

 He'd been using his new guitar too for the past couple of weeks. Not that he was pleased about it, but it was the only instrument he had. He didn't have any spares, and it's not like he had the broken shards to fix together, if he even could have pieced it back to begin with. He'd also been adamantly refusing to answer the other bots exactly where he'd gotten it from. And Foxy hadn't said anything about it either, which he was begrudgingly thankful for. But Freddy seemed to have begun connecting the dots lately too, and had been shooting the bunny some disapproving glances as of late whenever he caught the bunny strumming his new strings. Really, it was so damn unfair! He hadn't done anything wrong, the night guard had been the one responsible for all of this. It just wasn't fair that he was getting all the nasty looks when it wasn't even his fault. 

 Yeah. It was all Shara's fault. Breaking his pride and joy, then replacing it with that impostor like she could just play nicey-nice. Plus she'd practically brainwashed Foxy. It was just so _unfair_ , Foxy taking _her_ side, after only a few days, they'd known Foxy for _years_. 

 So needless to say, Bonnie was in a bad mood. He'd even been starting to hear whispering in the back of his head sometimes, even when nobody was there. Thinking he'd caught a virus or something, he'd mentioned it to Freddy at some point, but when he did. Freddy had just gotten...upset. Even though he told him not to worry about it. 

 Then the rabbit was promptly shocked out of his internal monologue by a very familiar voice resounding through the building. 

 "Foxy--you _don't have a tail!_ ".

God, he hated that guard. 

                             _____________________

"Stay still ya dumb fox" Shara mumbled as she fiddled with the animatronics arm, flexing and bending the rusty joints of his elbow whilst the bot in question simply allowed her to amuse herself. Letting his arm go lax in her grip, whilst he rested his chin on hid free hand, knee supporting his arm as he lazily lounged on the floor of the Cove as Shara pitter pattered around her business. Dutifully scratching away illegible scrawls on a messy, frayed notepad that was balancing precariously on her knee as she worked. 

 The joint creaked unpleasantly, and she winced. 

"Damn your joints are fucked" she grimaces as she sucked in a breath, easing the joint back to its original position with surprising care. Before dropping it altogether, and adding something else to her messy list. 

 The fox snorted. "Tell it how it is why don't you?" he joked as she pulled another face, whilst he simply tested the fickle hinge he called an elbow, wary that it might become stuck again. If not break off altogether.

 "How is it you haven't broken your limbs off yet? These things are so damaged you'd barely have to breathe wrong 'n' they'd snap" 

 The fox just stared at Shara, for a very long time. Before he deadpanned, "I don't need to breathe". 

"... Fight me, Fox". 

 She kept at it for another hour or so. With the constant and insistent continued interruptions from the staff still present, asking for her to leave the cove because apparently she wasn't allowed back there. Nobody was. Of course, giving less than two shits about that, she didn't listen, and she heard them whispering to one another as they left for the last time. Off to tell the manager, if what she'd overheard was accurate, she still stubbornly refused to leave. And Foxy just rolled his one good eye, but he said nothing. 

 When the curtains parted again, the last person she'd expected to find would've been Mike. But that's who was slinking past the curtain, so here he was. Wearing a relatively tired grin as he visibly struggled to adapt to the gloom. 

He stiffened when he saw the Fox. 

 "You're in luck" 

"Am i now? Wow, Mikey, didn't take you to be a narcissists" 

"Wha--no, no, the boss man gave you the all clear, I'm just here to pass that on" 

"And I'm ever so relieved, of what would I have ever done had he not given me the go ahead?" Shara dramatically gasped, sending a smirk towards Foxy as she pressed the back of her wrist to her forehead. He didn't offer much of a reaction, just remained still. Limp. 

 Shara frowned. What the hell? His eyes were no longer glowing golden either, but had instead gone dull. 

 Huh. Weird...

 "Har har, lay off the sarcasm kid, you're just lucky you're on the boss-mans golden list". 

 The young girl paused. "Golden list?" she asked, cocking her head to the side a bit too fast, causing her hat to slide off. "What're you talkin about?". 

 The older man smiled in disbelief, eyebrows knitting together and rising up into his own hat. "You're kidding, right? You didn't know?". 

 She shrugged. Mike sighed. 

"Kid, you're the first person to have survived the night with...you think you get away with all the trouble you cause cuz the boss _likes_ you? You're too valuable to kick to the curb". 

 Well, she'd already had more than an inkling that this was the case, but she neglected to tell Mike that. With an over-the-top flourish, Shara pressed her hand to her chest, "My poor heart, and i thought what me n the boss has was special". But all that earned was an eye roll from the day guardsmen, and she suspected from Foxy too, though he was trying his damnest to play statue. 

Whatever. They were both dicks, she was hilarious, they just didn't appreciate her genius wit. 

"Trust me, its nothing thanks to your glowing personality" Mike huffed. 

"Rude." 

"Heh, real cute" 

"Psh, unlike you" 

" _Now_ who's being rude?" 

 Caught off guard, Shara bit her tongue. Pouting with what she hoped was an unamused expression on her face, because she was totally not biting back a grin. Nope, no sirree, she was a strong independent woman! Who didn't need no man, and last time she checked, Mike was definitely not of the female variety. She would do many a thing, but somehow checking out the crotch bulge of the guy in front of her just wasn't all that high on her list. She'd just presume she was right, unless he was hiding chesticles in that flat-ass uniform of his. 

 Now that she really thought about it, Mike was pretty thinly built for a guy. Huh, must be the malnutrition of a life spent of minimum wage. That, or...

 "Mike?" 

 "Yeah?" 

 "What's in your pants?" 

 After a few minutes of spluttering apologies and spluttering in general on Mike's part, the matter was swiftly dropped, and an awkward silence encased the room in its place. The night guard, who was relatively less socially inclined, was quite happy to continue her business in the meantime, the quiet quickly being forgotten to the murmuring in the back of her mind. Whilst Mike, ob the other hand, was left to endure the silence in all of its uncomfortable glory. Fingers twitching at his sides as he watched the reclusive whirlwind girl wind in on herself without batting an eyelid. In fact if he wasn't so uncomfortable he might've found it amazing to see the girl act in any other way than...loud. But unfortunately, he was, and as he took the chance to drink in his surroundings, it was beginning to become less to do with the quiet. And a lot more to do with the Cove. 

 At last, he remembered where he was. And all too soon the small space came crashing down on him. The gloom crushing into him as his skull throbbed, and his eyes rested on the sole member of the room he'd almost forgotten. Until now, at least. 

 "Ahh, I uh, gotta get back to work--I'll see ya round" came Mike's hasty goodbye as he disappeared behind the curtains. He was gone by the time Shara glanced up to wave him off, she looked up in time to watch the curtains flutter back in place. 

 She allowed her hovering arm to droop. 

 That...that was weird. 

 "So lass, ye gonna finally let me in on what yer doin, or are ye plannin on leavin this old cap'ain in the dark?" Foxy's voice snapped her thoughts back to the present. 

 She looked up after jolting to find the Fox's eye back on her. Once again glowing hat eerie, but warm yellow gold. Oh, that was right, she hadn't asked him yet had she? 

 "I kinda forgot to ask, um, Foxy? Do you, do you want to get fixed?" 

She hadn't thought it possible, but his already bright eye sparked even brighter in that moment, though his face froze. She couldn't quite tell if that was a good reaction. 

 When he spoke again, it sounded almost as though he'd been knocked breathless. Forgotten how to speak with his own mouth. 

 "D-did ye hear news about me repairs? S'at what you went to see that thar manager fer? D-did he speak of getting me f-fixed?" he asked in a trembling voice. Eye staring at Shara with hope that he dare not even begin to dream, but hope that still shone anyway. 

 She gulped, and shook her head, rubbing the back of her neck whilst not quite meeting his eye. 

She still saw how he slumped though. 

 "Aye...I thought as much". 

"...You wouldn't happen to know where I could maybe find your blueprints would ya?" 

 Now she met the fox's eye, and it was not happy. 

It was not happy at all. 

 "I'd 'ppreciate ye not meddlin' with things 'at don't concern ye" he bitterly spat out, he sounded...deflated. Ears flattening pathetically as he shrugged Shara off to plonk carelessly down to the floor again. The sound reminiscent of a pile of scrap metal collapsing in a junk yard. 

 "That's not a very nice thing to say to your mechanic, when I'm trying so hard to figure out how to get your sorry ass fixed up!" Shara replied hotly, sticking an accusatory finger right up close and personal to his one good eye. Had it not been a mechanical lens, she might just've poked it right out. 

 Even with the bony finger stuck right into his face, his expression was strangely blank. And his eyes grew large while the rest of him remained artificially still, which was less impressive considering he had no muscles, but still. When he next spoke, he sounded almost as though his robotic brain had gone faulty. "I ehh, appreciate the thought but, lass ye don't have to try fixin me up". 

"what?! Ehy not?"

"I'd like to actually stay in whatever pieces i have left lass"

"Excuse me. Haven't you ever paid attention to how i set up my toys? I'm a certified mechanic engineer person thank you very much". 

 He probably shouldn't have been surprised to learn this, but he was. "Is that so?". 

 She nodded. "Uhuh", she mumbled as she flipped through her notes, shaking her head as she turned something over in her head, "but it'd really help to know your blueprints, I can fix the holes in your casing with wire armature and plaster".But then she hesitated, shrinking back into her seat as she settled Indian-style on the floor. Tapping her knee impatiently as she stared at Foxy with an intensity that told him that it wasn't really him she was seeing. "But the bar holding your jaw together is cracked bad, and the exposed joints and your legs have corroded and rusted so much they might need replacing altogether". 

 Well, that didn't exactly sound promising. "So ye can't fix it? Sounds to me like ya hit a snag". 

 The night guard groaned. "I have, honestly, that might need welding--soldering? I dunno, I can't tell how much weight is resting on that part and I don't wanna risk trying to plaster it, if it breaks again the whole thing could fall apart" she mumbled, still tapping her knee, but as she spoke her knee began to bounce in place too. Evidently frustrated. 

 "Say, it doesn't...hurt you, if I try to fiddle with you...does it?" 

"Hurts? Aye, it's uncomfortable, but hurt ain't the word I'd use, unless we get damaged I'd say it's just damn unpleasant" 

"I was hoping that wasn't the case, I guess I wasn't exactly expecting anything else though, I smack Bonnie around enough to see it smarts" 

"Yet you still do it" 

"I don't hit as hard as the first time I met 'em, but seeing as his end goal is murdering me I'd say it's a fair do" 

"And that time you messed with Chica?" 

 The night guard froze, a look of shock crossing her face, before her head dipped low. And she guiltily nodded, tipping the rim of her hat over her eyes as she fiddled with her pen, all while gnawing at her lip. 

The fox animatronics eye softened a little. Though his expression itself wasn't anything particularly hard, more...knowing. Shara's face was simply grim. 

 "What was all of that there about anyhow?" 

"I--" she began, but faltered. For a while. Only to suck in a deep, withering breath, before she tried to meet Foxy's eye, not quite managing to pass above the hooked hand resting on his knee. 

She looked oddly scared when she replied next. "I lost what kept me safe from them". 

"Them?" 

 No answer. 

 "What do ye mean?" Foxy probed, but again, she gave no response.

She refused to speak about it any further.

 It was frustrating, but there wasn't anything to do about it. The girl had a closed off expression on her face as she stared determinedly at the floor. He couldn't help but wonder if that strange creature he'd spied stalking the lass had anything to do with it. But he hadn't seen that thing anywhere about back when she'd... Just gone off. Then again he hadn't seen it before that either, and seeing as none of the other animatronics had reacted to it, he couldn't deny the possibility that the creature had gone unnoticed before too. 

 He had to wonder though, why had she gone off her rocker so...abruptly? Sure, the idea she was just mentally challenged had crossed his head many a time. And the idea had stuck too, amongst the others as well as him. But could there be something more? Something else? She'd never really been very malicious in hurting any of them before that one episode, it had just come out of nowhere. Sure, he could just be over thinking it too. Maybe 'them' was just all part of her, of her being ill. 

 Guess those were answers to questions that he just wouldn't be getting today. If at all. 

 "Have you ever seen a Doctor Lass?" he blurted out before his processors had the chance to process it. But he tried to play it off coolly, internally cringing at the tactlessness of his own words.

 "Pft, yeah" she scoffed, though she sounded tired. "I know I'm not well, I mean, like, I live differently to most people. But it doesn't really matter, it doesn't change how I go about life--not anymore anyway, I've found what works for me, I just...I-I slip, a bit, sometimes". 

She made a choking noise that looked like it was supposed to have been a laugh, before sighing, "I don't even really remember doing anything to be honest with you, it was like watching myself do it, from behind my own eyes". 

 She grew quiet again, and Foxy took a second to digest that. 

 "All I can say lassie's, that it's a good thing ye ain't a nastier prankster, or none 'o' us'd've noticed that change in ye enough to talk ourselves down" 

 The girl shifted in her seat for a bit, before speaking up, tugging at her bangs which fell messily over her face, covering her eyes and leaving most of her face hidden. "Where Chica and Bonnie okay? Yknow...afterwards?" she asked with an uncharacteristically small voice. 

 The fox bobbed his head. Causing his loose bottom jaw to flop uncomfortably against his chest. "Shaken, but ye might not believe me when I say it, but I don't think they blame you for what happened. You're not their favourite person, but they understand that you didn't do it on purpose"

 He got no response, so he went to speak, only to stop before he could even make a sound. She wasn't looking at him anymore, but there was a small smile on her face, just visible through her dark hair, her eyes that had been worn and tired looking a moment ago had regained a small spark in them.

 In that moment, looking a sight more relieved, the night guard looked quite a bit brighter than she had over the past few days. And for some reason, that knowledge made Foxy feel just a little lighter than he had felt in a very, very long time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yup, Shara is literally an engineer, shock horror, but how else would she be so talented at making all her trap--I mean, toys? Slowly but surely, we'll be learning about our indoor hurricane, slowly but surely.  
>  Also, am I the only person who's really pleased with how Mike's character is turning out? I dunno, he's only bedn around for a couple of chapters, but I like his dry sarcasm, so yeah. That's a thing. Plus I'm glad I thought of putting him in as the day shift guard, as homage to the games. Heh.  
>  So Foxy is getting repaired, that's the real big news I'm sure anyone who's still reading is excited about, or did you all expect this to happen? Either way, good for Foxy-fox! He deserves some TLC, but there's also some unexplained spoopy happenings going on about Shara that have yet to be brought to light. Has anyone ever thought that maybe, just maybe, Shara might not be ill at all?  
>  When people tell you you're crazy for long enough, you start to believe it, but what if a certain creepy creature isn't the only thing that only Shara, up until this point, has been able to see?  
>  Till next time~


	24. The Void and The Shopping Trip

 I flinched a little when the faceless mesh of figures behind the glass pressed their groaning, disfigured forms against the shop window. The display looked like it was meant for displaying clothes, but the monster-demons kinda took away any and all incentive to step foot inside. Of course, that wasn't stopping any of the other patrons walking about surrounding me from going on in, but then again, they couldn't see what you were seeing. They just saw, well, what was there, clothes, and prettily posed mannequins in all their glory. All I could focus on was the creepy naked humanoid cluster fuck of evil. 

 It'd started out as a pretty good day to be fair. The voices in and out of my ears were reasonably well mannered as far as they were easier than usual to block out went. Some complaining about how shabbily I dressed, or spouting running commentary on my every action or thought or move. Another kinda keeping it interesting and reciting what sounded like the entirety of the Harry Potter movie scripts in the most monotonous tone I'd ever heard in my damn life without much pause for breath. 

 So yeah, pretty normal day, all things considered. It was starting to get pretty chilly, what with autumn rolling around, and of course I'd dressed accordingly. Meaning I hadn't had the foresight at all to wear sensible clothing and was in fact hauling ass in a paper flannel shirt and skinny jean combo, with my hair falling across my face in a scraggy mess of black. My arms laden with whatever scrap materials I could salvage from the local dump, I was not on my way to browse through some more of the less skimpy brick-a-brack store options. I needed some new screw heads for my old dremel to help keep as much of Foxy's original plaster-work intact as possible, my old pieces having been worn to pieces until they just crumbled on their tip. It was alright, I found a lot of my materials for pretty cheap on eBay and dumps, but I could afford to splurge q little now and then. My toys were often cheaply made, even if they worked better than anything I could nab from the stores, but some things required more high quality materials than whatever was lying around in a scrap heap. So, off to the market I went, or was, considering I was literally there right now. Trying to remember where the ever living frick that old parts and repair store I'd visited my last, well, visit, had been. 

 I didn't really come here much. Not that I had anything against crowded places or anything, they never really bothered me much. Sure I got a few funny looks sometimes, but that wasn't anything different than usual. Nah, I just preferred familiar places, that didn't really change too much. I liked routine a lot, didn't really like change or places with lots of new and different people all waltzing around. Made it harder to see what was really there or not. Hence why I took the night shift in a supposedly haunted, poorly paying pizzaria. Apart from the nightly shenanigans between myself and the bots, I had a pretty solid daily ritual. Much more easier to deal with than, I dunno, being called here there n everywhere to fix shite as a mechanic. In a way, dealing with the nightly threat of death was a lit easier than most jobs in that kinda light. 

 That being said, I actually did enjoy being out and about in a way. I liked really crowded places if they were also even bigger open spaces, I liked feeling lost in a crowd far too big to even bother giving me a second look. It was relaxing. I wasn't under the spotlight, yknow? Sure I loved driving people up the wall as well, but sometimes, even I needed a break from my totally safe pranks and not at all illegal activities, I'll give you a hint, they rhyme with whack-whale. Heh. The neighbours should be more careful who's door they leave their trash on while they cheat on their husbands. And you'd be surprised at how much lawyers got up to no good, and how badly they take it when you bring a camera to your totally neighborly visits for some sugar while they're handling a totally different kind of white stuff in little rows of lines. Flour? I think not. Barry is noooo baker, I know this because I've seen his cooking attempts being thrown out of the window in a burning ball of flames during a date apparently gone wrong. Yeah, from the yelling it seemed the dinner date was put on hold. Not for long though, only forever. 

 Some would say I have an unhealthy obsession with mischief. And to that I say--how very dare you, you're right, but shame on you. Yeah you, you know who you are. 

 The ding of a bell sounded as I stepped into the threshold of a small tools and repair shop in between a couple of cafés and one pretty swanky looking clothes store. It was fairly bright, which was thanks to the large store windows letting the day sun in, but the air was a little musky with dust and the indescribable smell of metal mixed with something that could have been plastic, or fuel. The shop clerk standing behind an overcrowded, yet comically tiny worktop table smiled and nodded at me as I took in the small place's atmosphere. Which was entirely unorganized and filled to the brim. Shelves were overflowing with bits and bobs big and small, charmingly scruffy. 

 Heh, pretty nice. 

"Hey mister man, you sell any stuff on here, never seen this place before I wouldn't know where to start looking" I asked, handing over with a small bit of difficulty with all the boxes in the way, my list of materials scrawled on a crumpled price of paper pulled from my pants pocket. The old man plucked it from my hand briskly, which might've looked rude if his face wasn't so good natured looking. And he pulled down the largely oversized glasses sat on top of his balding head to scrutinize it, before bobbing his head as he stepped out from behind the desk. 

 "Aye, let's get ya sorted love, we've got some new stock in today" he said with a heavy accent I couldn't place. Maybe Scottish or Irish? "Yer lucky ya come so early, usually this lot's nabbed from the shelves quicker than I can get it" he continued as I was lead on further into the maze of tall shelves that made the tiny store feel monstrously large. Before he all but stopped abruptly, and I almost walked right into him, stepping awkwardly over my own feet and snagging my heel on a misplaced box of what looked like scraps. And I had to stop myself stumbling by catching a shelve with a panicked flail of my hand. 

Smooth I know. The old guy didn't even seem to notice. He was busy rooting through the mess to gather stuff from my checklist. 

 "Yea love, there's a couple short yer missin', might wanna try lookin' elsewhere, I hear the Internet's braw fer this lot". 

 "Ah, alright, cheers dude" I thanked the old man after all my gear had been bagged, tagged and paid for, still a fair bit of shit short. But I had enough to make a good headway on Foxy's repairs, at least to fix what had been destroyed through wear and tear. The years of neglect were easy enough to fix, it was just after that I wasn't really sure how to go about messing with. The basic skeleton is easy, its the meat on its bones that was the tricky part. But I'd have to worry about that later, one thing at a time. 

 While I was at it, I picked up some more soldering equipment too. Old iron got a bit damaged in my toy bag when one of the bots must've trodden on it or something, an I'd need it for the circuit of my latest and greatest masterpiece. Of course I had plenty of plans too keep the bots busy in the meantime, so a bit longer was no big problem. 

 "Now...what's next" I mumbled to myself, using my one spare hand to roll out my list clumsily against my chest. I'd stepped right outside into the street as I was doing so, and the flow of traffic had to swerve around me too abruptly for it to be as anonymous as I'd have liked. And so began the tutting. Much tutting, yknow the British way of saying "prick" without actually actively provoking the person you're tutting at. We weren't actually _in_ Britain of course, but a lot of foreigners tended to visit this area for some reason or another, so some things just sort of stuck. 

 And of course things such as tutting was supposed to be let go if you were supposedly in the wrong. But I wasn't exactly one of those people who did things by the norm. So my response was obviously to grunt a perfectly crude "Eh, go screw a cactus", a perfect response If I do say so myself. Which I say so. I say a perfect example is what I was right there. The offended gasping evidently totally in agreement of this. 

Good thing there weren't any kiddies around. Little monsters--I still hadn't forgotten that little episode with that bunny and the hoard of little devils. Huh, maybe I'd pay some special attention to the bunny tonight. I'd been pretty relentless to the bear ever since he almost murdered me violently, Bonnie was probably feeling pretty lonely now I'd imagine. Though maybe not nearly as much as Chica. Hadn't really seen much of her recently, she'd keeping herself in the kitchen for some reason. I'd seen her making a mess with flour and foodstuffs, and she'd occasionally try nabbing me whenever I vaulted over her worktops, but that was really about it. Maybe it was just my imagination, I had been hiding away a lot to hang out with Foxy after all. The bots seemed to think I'd just been lazing about in the vents. How they hadn't caught on yet was beyond you, since the animosity between the two parties over Foxy's supposed betrayal hadn't gone unnoticed by a long shot. It was a wonder they hadn't caught on that I just might be taking refuge with my only ally in the building. 

 Something flickered in the corner of my eye for a split second as I passed by the grocery store. A small black shadow fitting into the alleyway space which was mostly occupied by a gigantic dumpster, far too big to allow any human to get by. Aknur had been following me all day, which wasn't anything unusual, but it was a nice surprise to see it'd been mostly harmless stalking. As far as its harassment usually went, it could've been worse. It would have been unnerving if it wasn't something that happened so often for so long. 

 What was more disturbing though were the shadows. No, not normal shadows, cast by both people and objects alike, spreading across the floor and walls on any surface that darkness could touch were light was absent. No. That would have been too simple. Too...normal.

 What I was talking about, were the massive, demonic looking figures that were a large part of the crowd, going unseen as they clung to people's backs. Eyes mere pinpricks of white amongst their smoking, charred looking forms, that looked neither solid nor otherwise. They were huge, and wet looking, like damp ash all clumped together in the shape of a dog, only the size of a fully grown man, with wisps of miasmic smoke billowing around them like a disease. Relatively featureless as they merged with their hosts plastered against their shoulders like a plague. They'd swipe at one another if their humans got too close. As if warning the other off of their prey, 'this one's mine' they seemed to say.

 Strangely enough, I didn't seem to have one. But maybe I did, maybe it was just smaller, and sneakier, and named Aknur. Either way, it was just yet another reason to steer clear from large crowds. Wouldn't do to freak out now at something only I could see. At least I hoped only I could see them, in a way it was kind of relieving to know that these monstrosities only existed in my mind. A lot less frightening to think the opposite, that they really did exist. 

I'd much prefer those things stick to the world of fantasy. Then again, with walking talking haunted robots being a main part of my daily routine, the chances of what I saw everyday was becoming increasingly more likely. 

 But retreating to the bowels of the alley streets on my way home to avoid the growing crowd, was where my day took a very, very quite awful turn. 

 

 "Yknow, if you're gonna follow me all day, just walk with me like a normal ass person, you make yourself look like a creep by playing doctor-do-fuck-a--" 

"Oh do be quiet girl, I've too awful a headache to listen to your whinging" Aknur was quick to snap. 

 "Yeah, cuz thats gonna happen" I retorted snarkily. Kneeling down with my arms laden with bags to sneer at the thing at eye level. It hadn't attacked me by now, so I wasn't too worried about it being much of a threat at this point. It seemed its mood was rather docile today. Which was good, because I really felt in the mood to piss the little shit off. 

 "Such a charming woman you've grown to be" the creature groaned wearily, massaging its sickly white head with grotesquely long fingers like a poor troubled old woman would in a period drama. I snorted, straightening my posture as I resumed weaving through the trash bins, the monster accompanying closely beside me after a moment. "Thanks, I do try". 

"You are insufferable" 

"And you are a stalker-demon haunting an innocent young and relatively defenseless girl out of the coldness of your heart for no apparent reason. I'd say we're even". 

  "Yes, you're a lot of things my dear Shara, but innocent and defenseless are neither I'd call you" 

"How you wound me" I deadpanned in a bored, flat sounding voice. To which Aknur seemed to have no response to, or if it did it didn't say it. And we both settled into an uncomfortable silence. 

 I pressed my lips together in a rare moment if hesitation, before I spoke up again, "Aknur?". 

 It didn't answer, but something about the quiet made me comfortable to continue, knowing somehow I had its attention. 

 "What are you? Seriously, why are you with me?" I asked quietly. It was a question I'd asked multiple times since he appeared first a long time ago. And it was a question I've never really gotten a straight answer to. 

 The quieter footsteps beside mine faltered a moment. And I peered down beside me, feeling strange to be looking at such an inhuman creature be walking beside me, so normally. Like me, a human. Standing at its full height with its grossly disproportionate limbs, reaching just under my chest. Like a child, almost like a child. 

 "I'm with you because I need to be" it said simply, after a moment of hard thought. But It said it as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. Casually, even, though it wasn't at all a casual subject. 

 "Yeah, okay, but why?" I prodded tiredly. Frustrated by the very helpfully vague answer. 

 "To make sure history doesn't repeat itself" it answered grimly. Almost a whisper, as if it was almost afraid to put it into words. 

Yeah. Cuz that made a whole lot more sense. Why didn't I think of that before? Totally logical. 

I made my displeasure known by blowing out a raspberry--lolling my head back to look down at the vague bastard who--wasn't...there, anymore... 

 Huh, where the hell had that thing gone? 

A chill went up my spine at the sudden feeling of loneliness in the dark alleyway. That seemed to be growing darker than it should be, and more so by the second. And the temperature dropped suddenly without wind, not even a breeze. 

 It was then I noticed it had gone eerily quiet. Even though I was still close to the main street. Nit silent though, just the sound of, well, I wasn't sure what it was exactly. It just sounded like thousands of bugs scuttling across the ground, but there was nothing to explain it in sight. 

And suddenly, all was quiet. 

I don't like this. Something--somethings wrong. 

I don't--

 

Something unidentifiable flung itself at me as I whirled around to face it. Fast, too fast, and it coated me like some sort of liquid. For a moment I thought maybe someone had fucking thrown acid or something in my face, am I being mugged? 

The movement on my flesh answered my question. No, I'm not. Whatever it was, it's not acid. 

It's alive. 

 

\--It's getting in, in at the eyes. I can feel it- pushing into the cracks and crevices just so, almost gently. A cruel embrace of my flesh as it seeps in through my ears, pushing down my throat and closing around my eye sockets.

   It's a blackness that feels cold as it enters my warmer, at least by comparison, body. Though the chill offers no comfort to my feverish insides, it feels clammy, like a cramp clamping around my internal organs, squeezing the air from my lungs with every breath, constricting and coiling like a snake around my chest. Until I can't breath anymore. And even then it tightens further.

    A feeling of numbness accompanies the sensation of miasma filling my veins, though not a blissful sort. More of an uncomfortable tingling, pins and needles, as though my bones had been broken and my nerve endings damaged. Leaving my without feeling yet still very much aware of the pain accompanying it. My skin itches as inky splotches dot around my, well, everything. Scratching doesn't do much other than make it itch more, the irritation if beneath the flesh, so close yet unreachable to my clawing fingers.

    I didn't even feel myself hit the floor, I didn't even feel my legs collapse underneath me, nor did I feel my knees scrape across the asphalt, the rest of me following closely behind. I was too focused on the expulsion of whatever it was taking over me. My body trying desperately to eject the corruption from my system, only it didn't help, it made the feeling of asphyxiation so much worse. My abdomen clenching with the force of my retching, gurgling sobs shaking my body as the darkness now saturating my lungs oozed from my mouth. The taste oily and slick on my tongue, as though i'd downed a bottle of nail polish whole, then had toxic waste for dessert. I just wanted it to stop. Why wouldn't it stop? What was happening to me? It hurt so much, I can't breathe, I can't see, I can't feel anything. Please-- something, make it go away.

     With every silent plea I made, the agony just seemed to worsen. Just a little, as though it was teasing me in the torturous, ironic embrace. 

It was a relief when I finally passed out altogether. A different, calmer sort of darkness submerging me like a pool of water. And I remember feeling a sense of welcome calmness envelope me as I sunk deeper below.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that's a development that just happened. Fun huh? Shara ain't havin' a good day guys, whether it gets better you'll just have to find out.  
>  Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed!
> 
> Till next time~


End file.
